recently been doing a lot of soul searching on the topic of financial planning.
like...
how do you balance saving for the future and trusting God to provide?
how do you work towards reaping maximum profit and yet not become obsessed with making money?
how can one give sacrificially and yet have more than enough funds for the family?
*wrestle wrestle wrestle*
well, i haven't quite reconciled everything in my mind yet. but what i'm beginning to notice and understand is that these things don't have to happen mutually exclusive of the other. that wanting to make money is not an evil thing, in and of itself. and that nothing is really black and white - there's a whole lot of grey that needs a load of wisdom to make sense of.
maybe real stewardship of my money is not just hiding some of it away in a bank and 'saving for a rainy day'. it's making my money grow. like the parable of the ten talents - and like our God-given talents - we aren't supposed to just keep it for ourselves, but to make it 'work' for us in creating more wealth/talent/skill through wise investment or training. not for personal gain per se, but to be used for God's glory. what glory does it offer God if i can save $5K, when i could have made $5K more and given to the needy?
there's faith. and there's stewardship. and there's concern for loved ones. and there's concerned for the needy.
quite a lot of stuff to wrap my head around....
spent an extended quiet time to think through stuff a couple of days ago...
it's pretty amazing. my passage for the day was only proverbs 3:5-6. so i thought, aiya familiar passage lah. but i had time to spare. so i thought, why not read the whole chapter 3.
it's pretty long, so i will just highlight some main verses and how it spoke to my heart:
v1-2
"...keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity."
- - - > Obedience to God is key in being able to experience His blessings.
v5-7
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil"
- - - > While it's good to use my 'blain' and to plan and to rationalise, some things do require faith and trust that is not rational from my point of view. Goes back to obedience to what God is saying, and fearing him enough to act upon it.
v9
"Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops."
- - - > This has always been my stand. That I believe in giving to God, whether through the church or to missions, consistently. Not as an afterthought or as a duty, but out of wanting to give Him glory for what He has done, what He has provided. Not the remnants of what I have, but a substantial amount. Not all that I have - because He really is not asking that of me for now - but enough to make it at least a small sacrifice - a small expression of my love and gratitude to Him.
v13-14
"Blessed in the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and yields better returns than gold."
- - - > While money is not evil, and is definitely useful, I don't to allow it to become too much of a priority in my life. And along with gaining wealth, there is a need for greater wisdom, if not all the wealth in the world is wasted on me.
v21-22
"... preserve sound judgment and discernment... you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble..."
- - - > It's good - in fact it's instructed - that we should use our God-given sense of judgment and discernment. There's nothing wrong in exercising our rationale when making decisions - don't always need to have a burning bush appear.
v25-26
"Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.""
- - - > Once I make a decision, based on my sound judgment and seeking God and using whatever wisdom He has given me, I need to continually make the choice to trust Him to work things out for my good. EVEN if something terrible happens to me, and I lose money or health etc, I can rest that He is working things out for good, ultimately. And He has a purpose for allowing each event to take place.
v27-28
"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act... when you now have it with you. "
- - - > With increased wealth or skills or knowledge comes the increased responsibility to give, to help those in need, to give sacrificially and out of love.
v29
"Do not plot harm against your neighbour...."
- - - > I should be full of intergrity in all my relationships, not plotting harm against anyone, or backstabbing or even gossiping (oh no, I do have a tendency to do that sometimes =( must work on curbing it) and along with this, I should envy or covet what my neighbour has. If I want what he/she has, I must make choices that allow me to gain it in a right manner. I must take responsibility for getting there, not just sit there and be envious or complain. But at the same time, I must submit my desires to God and ask him what He thinks about it.
Yup that's it. rather a wordy post, I know, but i wanted to just put down some of my recent thoughts down. I wouldn't say I can make sense of everything yet, but i know it's a good place to be in. Feel like just struggling this issue has helped me to crystallise what I truly believe, what I lack conviction in, and where God wants me to be/wants me to do.
I realise that, in the end, what I still love most are people.
It's kind of a nice realisation to have =)
