Money Matters

My husband and I attended our first Financial Peace University class by Dave Ramsey last night.  It's being offered by a local church we've visited a few times.  We are so excited to learn how to be good stewards with our money!  I think we both feel we do an okay job with our money, but also agree we can do better. 

With each week's lesson there is homework, and I'm secretly sooo excited to do this homework with my husband, just for the sake of doing something together!  My husband works hard and is so exhausted in the evenings that we don't really get the opportunity to talk much.  He gets home, entertains the kids while I cook, we eat, spend some family time together, and then once the kids are in bed he's ready to go to bed too.  So I think my favorite part of taking this class is just getting to take it together ;)

One of the first homework assignments is to create a basic budget.  We are both anxious to work on that and start seeing where we're spending our money.   However, I have to admit I'm a little worried we'll get over zealous and stop spending any extra money at all.  I've been doing a lot of online browsing today for home decor.  Our walls have been bare since we moved into this house because I can't make up my mind on what to buy (remember my over-thinking, makes-everything-more-complicated-that-it-has-to-be tendencies)!  I'm afraid if I wait any longer, we'll get deeper into this class and our walls will stay bare forever.  Probably not the way I should be thinking, but hey, I never said I was perfect.

Anyway, we are really excited to learn how to handle our money and to be better prepared for the future. And not only do we get to learn these useful techniques, we get to study the Bible at the same time. The Bible has a lot to say about money, and if we are to live Godly lives, that most definitely includes how we handle the money God blesses us with.

Here is a list of 5 Bible verses about money:

• Philippians 4:19  "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
• Malachi 3:10  " 'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and poor out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.' "
• 1 Timothy 6:10  "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
• Acts 20:35  "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
• Proverbs 22:7  "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender."

I found this list on www.christianpf.com.  (Christian Personal Finance.)  It's a neat little article that talks about these verses more in-depth.  Here is the direct link: http://christianpf.com/5-bible-verses-about-money-every-christian-should-know/.  You should check it out.

The Bible also provides a description of "The Wife of Noble Character" in Proverbs 31:10-31.  (I know, I know, you other wives out there are probably thinking "Proverbs 31?  [Cringe]  The wife we can never live up to!")  Well, regardless of how inadequate Proverbs 31 might make some of us feel, we have to pay attention to what it says.  Money matters are mentioned multiple times in this passage, like smart purchases in verse 16, profitable trading in verse 18, helping the poor in verse 20, and earning money in verse 24.  Some of these verses might not seem applicable when you first read them, but they are.  You just have to think hard and pray for God to reveal what they mean for you, right now, in your life, in this day and age.  It is possible to be like this woman!  I may not know from experience yet, but I haven't given up hope ;)

So here's what it boils down to:  Money is important.  What's more important is what we do with our money.  The Bible gives us a guide for handling our money.  We need to study what the Bible says, take it to heart, and then find practical ways to carry it out in our lives.  Following the Bible's teachings and utilizing Dave Ramsey's system, I can't wait to become good stewards and financially free!  I know one area of handling our money we are failing in is giving.  Since we haven't found a church home yet, we haven't really been giving.  We need to remedy this, quick!  There are plenty of other ways we could be giving.

If any of you have gone though the FPU program before, I'd love to hear how it worked for you!