Finances - Let's be Willing

As I began gathering my thoughts for what to discuss this week, I felt like the Lord is leading me to focus on finances. Not the most fun thing to talk about (in my opinion...but, my husband feels differently!), but downright necessary when it comes to making the move to staying at home or keeping your head above water if you're already at home. As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband came into this marriage with strong financial stewardship skills. He was, and continues to be, a complete blessing to me in this area, and the way God has proven Himself faithful to us in this subject is absolutely worth sharing with all of you. I hope you will be able to take tidbits of advice as we delve into the finance abyss this week and apply them to your personal situation. If convoluted money-matters are the only thing holding you back from staying home full-time with your babies, imagine the doors that may open if true focus and deliberate discipline were applied to this area. As I was doing my quiet time this morning, this verse jumped out at me...

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Psalm 51:12 (NIV)

God desires us to live in complete joy all of the time. If you aren't a believer, or if you are new to the Christian lifestyle, this may come as a shock to you. How do we live in joy throughout the most difficult times of the human life? Sickness, poverty, broken relationships, broken dreams, financial disaster, even death of loved ones? James 1:2-4 reads,

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

If you and your husband have struggled financially, do not be discouraged. Look at that situation as preparing you for what is ahead. Let it help to mold you into a financial steward who is determined to live in a way that is financially pleasing to the Lord. Or, at the very least, let it make you yearn for joy that is difficult for you to find in your current situation.

The bottom line for the multitude of verses found about finances is that He wants us to be willing. Willing to go without the things the world says we must have, willing to put extra "fun money" towards debt instead of a great new outfit, willing to respect your husband if he disagrees with current spending patterns, and most of all, willing to study His Word for the clear principles about financial stewardship. Maybe you aren't willing. Maybe it is easier to stay in a world where there is more month left than money, where credit cards are the norm, where the love of material possessions outweighs the love for financial freedom. But, God is in the business of changing hearts! I encourage you to meditate on Psalm 51:12 from above. Read it again and again. God delights in us when we ask for things from His Word which He desires us to possess. Ask Him for a willing spirit. Ask him for a strong spirit to sustain you. In looking at that verse from another angle, ask Him to strengthen your willing spirit so that you may have the finances to sustain you. Being willing to make the change is the very first step.

I want to close today with a definition of a biblical principle. This phrase is thrown around so much today in common Christian cultures, that I suppose many of us are confused about its meaning--financial stewardship. Ultimately, this is how God desires for us to view money. Almoutran.com has a clear and concise definition of stewardship. The website defines it as:

-the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

Fascinating! So, what the many verses on stewardship are saying is that the money isn't even ours. It is His. He has entrusted a certain amount to each one of us. It is our job to take care of His money. That's putting it in a different context! Join me on this journey as we learn how to do this on a daily basis for our children, our husbands, and ultimately, for the Lord. Be blessed!


By the way, be sure to click on the tab "McNamee's Money-Saving Methods" at the top of the Home page. This will show the daily MMSM!