“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” I Corinthians 4:2
We have seen that a steward is one who is accountable to his master for his past, his present and his future stewardship. For the past couple of days, we have talked about our past debts and also the importance of getting to the root of our financial problems, which have stems into our past. If the root problem(s) are not dug up and disposed of, the present and the future will continue to be a problem. So, I trust that you have taken time into at least seeking God’s wisdom and letting His truth reveal what those root problems are. You will NOT regret it!
Today I want us to now move into the present. Our verse reminds us that we are to be faithful in our stewardship. How can this take place? How does faithfulness occur? Well, I do guarantee one thing and that it does not happen by chance. If we treated our jobs like we do our finances, we would not have a job. Faithfulness in a job comes with structure. It comes with outlined procedures. But, yet, it comes with its rewards as well.
So, how are you and I going to be able to be faithful in our present finances? We need structure. We need some procedures laid out for us to follow. When we follow those, that is when we will be rewarded. I follow a number of Instagram accounts of those in what is called the #debtfreecommunity. I have noticed an interesting thing. I have noticed that it does not matter how much money a person makes, if they are not faithful in their finances, they can accumulate some horrendous debt! I do not know if that makes you feel any better with your minimum wage job or not, but it should.
God requires us to be faithful in our finances whether we are rich or poor.
So, here is the question … how faithful are you in your present finances (with your daily living expenses)? I would wager a guess that they are not as good as you would like them or you would not be reading this devotion on biblical finances, correct? There is room for improvement to be found for all of us. Do you not agree?
Today you will drag out that pen and a clean sheet paper again and you will write down every current expense that you have … EVERYTHING … dog grooming, coffee runs, manicures and pedicures, subscriptions, etc! If you pay it quarterly, divide it by 3 and find out what your monthly expense is. If it is bi-yearly or yearly, divide it accordingly. This shows you what your current expenses are for each month. See, that was not so bad after all, was it? Well, tomorrow will bring a little more heat on as the rubber really meets the road. But hang in there! You can do this!
Stewardship Principle #3: If we are not faithful with our present everyday expenses, our finances can get messed up in a hurry and we can quickly end up with some astronomical debt before we know it. It is much easier to stay out of debt than to get out of debt … and it begins with getting your daily expenses in writing.