Still, though, I’m not going to give in to worry. It’s a waste of time, it saps my energy, and it’s in contradiction with God’s will for our lives. Consider Luke 12:22-31:

22Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Clearly, we are not to worry. Trust in God, and He will provide for our needs. I have found this to be true from personal experience. God provides for my needs – always, even when I don’t trust in Him as much as I should. I’ve found though, that the more I trust Him, the more He provides. For example, the more I worry about extra income streams, the less extra income I actually get. Some might say that my wife and I still have jobs, so it’s easy to say “don’t worry.” What if we lose our jobs? Will I be so optimistic then? The Bible also provides guidance on this, in Romans 8:

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Even if my wife and I both lose our jobs, we are to continue trusting in God, secure in the knowledge that God works out all things, including the bad things, for the good of those who love Him.

When I started this blog, I really wanted to write about Biblical principles of money manage. That’s what I started to write about with this post. While I was looking for a verse to base this post on, I stumbled across these 2 though, and decided to write about (not) worrying instead. If you are in bad financial straights, I hope you find this encouraging.

Cheers,

Ken

First of all, the Old Testament tithe wasn’t a part of God’s Moral Law (as embodied in the 10 Commandments), it was part of the Judicial Law, basically regulations given by God on how the Nation of Israel was to be governed. Moral law is still binding. Ceremonial and Judicial Law are NOT. For those who preach that tithing is still required, I have a question – do you still offer burnt sacrifices?

Second, even if tithing were still required, where should it be given and what should it be used for? Most churches teaching that the tithe is still required demand that it be paid to the church. How convenient (for them)!!! However, that is NOT how the tithe was paid in the Old Testament. How was it paid and what was it used for? Part of it was used to support the priests (Levites) in return for the work they did in the Temple. Part of it was used to provide for the poor. Part of it was to be consumed by the people tithing themselves. Read Deut. 14:22-29 for yourself if you don’t believe me:

22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. 24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. 27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.

28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Of course Christians should be charitable. I think the key concept though is that everything we have belongs to God (not just 10%), and we should use 100% of what He has entrusted us with to bring glory to Him. If you still think paying a tithe is your most important financial obligation, ask yourself a few questions:

1. How is God glorified when a non-believer sees you renege on a legal debt because your tithe makes you unable to afford to pay your mortgage?
2. How is God glorified when a non-believer sees you fail to provide for your family because your tithe causes you to lose your home?
3. How is God glorified when a non-believer sees a minister who lives an extravagant lifestyle asking poor people to send in more money?

God doesn’t want your money. He wants your heart. He says “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Give to support the work of the Church. Give to help the poor. But give because you want to give, not because you feel compelled to give or because someone is trying to coerce you into giving.

Cheers,

Ken

Phillipians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

The Housing Crisis – Are you upside down? If you can still afford to make your payments, then keep making them. Are you behind on payments and in danger of losing your home? Maybe your lender would be willing to do a loan modification. Remember that earth is just a temporary home – our true home is elsewhere.

John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

Unemployment – If you are unemployed, I am sorry for you. Realize that there are resources to help you get through this period. It might be a good chance to cut a lot of dead wood out of your life. It also might be an opportunity to find a better job or a better situation than what you had previously. Also remember here is another type of work besides a job.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

What if you’re not a Christian? I think the same principle applies – don’t let yourself become overwhelmed. If you do, you short-circuit your ability to deal with the problem. As the matter of fact, I don’t feel you should focus all your energy on just solving problems. Change the way you see your situation. Spending all your time and energy solving a problem solves the problem, but it doesn’t give you a way forward to where you want to go in life, especially when new problems can keep coming at you. Invest in yourself right now. Gain knowledge. Make new friends. Expand your social and professional networks. Look for new and different opportunities. Your ability to connect with others and make adjustments are valuable assets during hard times.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Since Mondays were such a drag on the rest of the week for me, I decided to start applying this principle to my life. I don’t work on Sundays any more, at all. No Open Houses. No preparing mailers to send out. If I have a big home project to do on a weekend, it gets finished on Saturday or it gets finished the following week. I don’t even like driving home from vacation on Sundays – it’s too much like work, so we drive home on Saturday. I might do a little yard work, but only a little, and only because I find it relaxing.

I’ve found that since I started treating Sunday as an actual Day of Rest, Mondays are the most productive day of the week for me. Instead of showing almost late for work with a foggy head, I show up on time with a clear head. In fact, I like to show up an hour early to prepare for the coming week. My stress level is down, not just on Mondays but all week long.

I believe this principle applies to anyone, whether you worship the God of the Bible, a different god, or no god at all. Try setting aside your Sundays as a day of rest and see how it affects your productivity, your mental clarity, your overall well being.

Cheers,
Ken