With wisdom a house is built. With understanding it is established.With knowledge its rooms are filled with every kind of riches, both precious and pleasant.

Proverbs 24:3-4

In some of our modern worship settings, referencing money is sometimes taboo. Over the years I’ve developed a certain confidence in speaking about finances from the pulpit, because Jesus spoke of money quite often, but secondly, it probably is one of the most troubling yet rewarding situations a person can encounter. For example, if there is a shortage of money in the house it seems that everything becomes magnified, versus when there is a consistent financial flow. Amazingly, during that financial flow, the same issues that were once magnified, seemingly now don’t matter. So it is a must finances are discussed from a biblical stand point, to educate the Christian believer the way God sees it and how we should as well.

Over the weekend, I was asked a question that I believe is common to those who are genuinely concerned about their finances and want change but are confused as to ‘how’ to start when their reality is they need every penny and a few more. I stumbled upon an amazing article written by Kristin Wong entitled, ‘How To Budget When You’re Broke’. (click here to read the article). While this article is practical and offers some amazingly simple yet effective best practices, I believe the fear of ‘if this will work’ will cause you to deviate from the plan and in turn find yourself in an even worse state. So to help you jump that hurdle, in conjunction with you reading Kristin’s article, I want to offer for 3 biblical reasons why we should budget. Often times when the ‘how-to’ is coupled with the ‘why’ a plus a resilient attitude, success is inevitable.

Quickly, before we discuss the reasons why we should have a budget, let’s debunk any myths and get a true definition, because many have a negative perception about budgeting. For some people, budget means broke. The idea of living “on a budget” implies pinching pennies and slogging through life without any luxuries. But a budget need not be any of those things. Budgets accomplish two main goals: First, a budget is a way of documenting your financial life on paper. It shows where your money comes from, and where it goes. Second, a budget allows you to make informed, strategic choices about spending and saving. Since you have a good documentation of your financial habits, you can easily see areas that need some work, and redirect your money flow to meet those needs. Here’s a way to think about it: If money is like water, a budget is the plumbing system that we build to make it flow where we want it to go. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the scriptures repeat the wisdom about planning ahead and budgeting our resources so that we can live a blessed life.

So we have a link above as to how we can budget, we have the definition of what budgeting really is, and now here is what the Bible offers us as to why we should budget.

We Budget Because It’s A Wise Thing To Do
23 Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, 24 for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. 25 After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, 26 your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. 27 And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls. Proverbs 27:23-27

It’s interesting to read this passage and see that the writer isn’t saying “it might be good if you plan ahead” or “if you find it convenient, plan ahead with your resources.” It’s actually a pretty clear set of instructions to apply a budget to your income and watch your resources carefully. I see two basic principles that come from this passage: 1) If you budget you will have enough to cover your expenses. 2) If you don’t budget, you’ll struggle to meet your obligations and won’t pass on an inheritance to your children, grandchildren, or anyone for that matter. Straightforward? Yes, it is. But that’s the beauty here – it’s simply wise to plan ahead and make a budget.

We Budget Because It Protects Us
28 If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and figure out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job. 29 If you don’t, you will not be able to finish the tower after laying the foundation; and all who see what happened will make fun of you. 30 ‘You began to build but can’t finish the job!’ they will say. Luke 14:28-30

Jesus was addressing the cost to be a disciple and wanted his followers to know what it would mean to follow him. They would need to consider all costs and commit to him 100%. Interesting how he explained his point by using an example of people budgeting and planning their resources before committing to a building project. The concept of budgeting isn’t new and was a well-known financial principle in Jesus’ days.

We Budget So We Can Give
Now, concerning the money to be collected for God’s people in Jerusalem: I want you to do as I directed the churches in Galatia. 2 Every Sunday each of you should set aside some of your money and save it. Then money won’t have to be collected when I come. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Even Paul gives a reminder to the church in Corinth about budgeting. His approach was to budget so that you are able to bless others without trying to scrape together something at the last minute. You see, Jerusalem was under great stress and the people were suffering for lack of food and other provisions. Paul was urging the church to bless them and the best way was through setting aside resources that could be collected when Paul came.

I think it’s important to understand why we need to budget, and having a Biblical perspective on the topic is a solid way to approach the subject. Budgeting is the absolute best way to become master of your money, because if you don’t tell it where to go, it definitely will tell you!

Pastor J