Finances

Even in the best of times, the holiday season can be a time of financial stress and pressure. The opportunities to spend money and the temptations to incur debt are powerful.

Of course, these aren’t the best of times, economically speaking. As we enter this holiday season, many couples are battling real fear about their financial futures.

I write to you today because I care deeply about Christian marriages and about your marriage. Few factors have a greater impact on the health and longevity of a marriage than financial considerations.

The truth is that money really does matter in marriage.

In many marriages, money itself is not the problem, but it often reveals other existing problems and harmful attitudes. As family counselor Samuel Pauker wrote,

“Money has enormous psychological significance for each of us...The fact is that money is so interwoven in the fabric of our lives that it inevitably becomes weighted with a myriad of meanings. It has to do with feeling taken care of or feeling cheated, feeling secure or insecure, feeling dependent or independent.”

Is it any wonder that the majority of divorces are centered on financial conflict?

Following God’s principles relating to finances and increase is always important. But in times like this, it’s absolutely vital.

When Life Gets Complicated
If you look across the body of Christ today, you'll see that few things tend to complicate the lives of believers more consistently and completely than money.
Complications resulting from the mismanagement of money tend to spill over into our relationships, as well. That’s why a high percentage of divorced people in this country cite financial issues as a key factor in their separations.

There is a lot of fuzzy thinking in the Church about money.

A major point that confuses many people is the issue of whose stuff it is in the first place. Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it.”

The very first fact that we must acknowledge before we can truly receive God’s blessing on our financial situation is this truth: “We own nothing, and God owns everything.”

This makes me a steward, not an owner. The only remaining question becomes, “What kind of stewards are we?” Proverbs 28:20 tells us, “A faithful person will be richly blessed.” That’s the kind of stewards we should aspire to be, faithful stewards.

Faithfulness is God’s way. Day in and day out, do what is right and it will result in success. And faithfulness is directly tied to another quality: selflessness.

Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” Lasting financial security and success begin with an attitude of selflessness.

That’s why I am always encouraged when I see a couple harnessing God’s principles of sowing and reaping by unselfishly giving to help others who need help with their marriages.