Is Your Budgeting Honoring Christ?

Just because you have a budget does not mean that your budgeting honors Christ. Just because you use a budget does not mean that your budgeting honors Christ. Just because you use a Ramsey-approved envelope system does not mean that your budgeting honors Christ.

So how can we know? If we have a desire to honor Christ in all that we do, how do we know that we are stewarding The Lord’s resources through budgeting in a way that honors Christ? Let’s start with what is not.

What Doesn’t Necessarily Honor Christ

Fiscal Responsibility

There are many financial programs put on by churches to help teach fiscal responsibilities and money management to their members. The dangers of debt. Building up rainy day funds. Investing for the future. But what can easily be missed in these programs is that non-believes do these financially healthy things as well.

But in doing so they can be worshiping themselves through their fiscal responsibility instead of submitting their life to the Lord as a living sacrifice. Because to submit our life and our budgets to Christ our hearts are the topic of focus.

As we see in Isaiah 64, even our righteous acts can be considered filthy rags. Or, as we see in Psalm 51, as David says that God is not delighted in the sacrifice or burnt offering, but a broken and contrite heart. Fiscal responsibility is not wrong. In fact, we have a lot of instruction in the wisdom literature and all through Scripture on responsible financial practices, but Honoring Christ with our finances goes deeper than this alone. 

“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”

Proverbs 22:7

“A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.”

Proverbs 16:11

“A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.”

Proverbs 28:20

“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Proverbs 10:4

Self-Glorification in Our Budgeting

Tied very closely to the fiscal responsibility trap in budgeting is the trap of self-glorification. Sometimes we can think that we give 10% of our budget and then the other 90% is ours to do what we wish. In reality, 100% of our budget is the Lord’s and we are managers (stewards) of His resources.

If we are not prayerful in the consideration of our budgets, then it is very likely we are building our budget around what is comfortable to us and what we enjoy. Similar to the last section, spending on what we enjoy is not wrong, we will discuss it below in how it can be Christ-honoring.

Anxious Budgeting

When you hear the word budget does it make you flinch? Does it make you think of penny-pinching to try to fit within your budget or of sticking your head in the sand in order to avoid budgeting all together?

Jesus pretty directly addresses anxiety and finances in Matthew 6:25-34. We are told not to be anxious about what tomorrow holds. Specifically in the example of the birds. “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” The main idea with this is not to simply try harder not to be anxious, but to see the freedom that it is the Lord who provides for his people. We know that he will lead us into pasture to find fullness of life as he is the Good Shepherd.

More budgeting or more strict budgeting does not provide this rest from anxiety. God provides himself as this rest for us.

So What Does It Look Like to Honor Christ in Our Budgeting?

To honor Christ is to recognize, submit, and cherish his rightful rule as King of All. So as we look at our budgeting, how can we move our eyes from the things of earth to be focused on the things that are eternal as we hear in Colossians 3:2? Let’s go through a few high-level examples of what this could look like.

Budget With Margin

We can see in the old testament that God uses margin in our lives to bless those around us, and to bless us through this process. You can read more of the concept of margin in your budgets, here. Assume that you spend less than what is actually deposited into your bank account. When someone you know has a need, you can then extend generosity from your excess. If you get paid every other week as opposed to twice a month, you have an easy way to start this process. There are two months that you will receive three paychecks instead of two; see if you can forget about that extra paycheck.

Budget With an Open Hand

As a steward or manager of the Lord’s resources, we recognize that we are not the instigator of our wealth and income and we are not the terminal owner of those resources. In Revelation 21 we see God identifies himself as the Alpha and the Omega - the beginning and the end. As we look at our budgets, we are to not simply apply our preferences to our budgets, but to see what the Lord has for these resources.

Budgeting With Prayer

Similarly, honoring Christ in our budgeting means seeking His guidance and wisdom through prayer. Before making financial decisions, we should bring them to the Lord in prayer and ask for His guidance. This helps us to align our desires with His will and to make decisions that honor Him.

Giving Generously

Honoring Christ in our budgeting means giving generously, as Christ has given generously to us. This could mean giving to our local church, supporting missionaries, or giving to those in need. Giving sacrificially helps us to remember that everything we have ultimately belongs to God, and that we are called to use our resources to further His kingdom.

Contentment in Our Budgeting

Honoring Christ in our budgeting means finding contentment in what we have, rather than always striving for more. As we hear from the author of Hebrews:

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Always striving for more income or larger budgets is an easy way to forget our dependence on the Lord for all things.

Being Honest in Our Budgeting

Honoring Christ in our budgeting means being honest about our financial situation. This includes being honest with ourselves about our spending habits, being truthful with others about our financial situation, and seeking help when needed. When we are honest, we can avoid the trap of deceitful practices and honor God with our finances. 

One way we are able to be honest in our budgeting is if you are married to be open and in unison with your spouse when it comes to the budget making and budget keeping. Often times, one spouse will handle more of the financial matters in the home, but as we are one in Christ with our spouses and budgeting/finances can be a significant area in our life (and often one of the more significant points of contention in a marriage), it is good to budget together.

In conclusion, as Christians we are to set our allegiance to Christ above all other things. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 we are told, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” As we consider how to do this through our budgeting, we truly should first focus on our hearts before focusing on the practices.