To be a good Christian, you have to be a better human being first. Taking care of yourself and your family plays a vital role in acquiring that degree.
God doesn’t only want to be part of your life every Sunday. He longs to be with you every day, he loves to be involved in every aspect of your life. Let it be your Fitness routine or Financial goals.
The point of this post is not money, but learning how to handle it. The root of all evil is not money but the love of money. so learning to hold its leashes is not a sin.
In case you are someone who started earning recently and studying how to handle your finances or wants a way out of a messy financial situation. This post is for you.
Let’s discuss about 5 tips to build up a good financial routine.
Make a Budget Plan :
John Maxwell says a budget (for your money) is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.
Remember the parable of talents? the one where the master entrusts each of his servants with his wealth – A wise steward makes more of it.
It can be your allowance or payment for the freelance gig/part-time job or your salary from 9 to 5. Add up all the money in your hands at the start of the month and make a budget to spend it.
There are a lot of budgeting techniques like the Envelope method & Kakeibo available online. With some planning apps, and a few quick surfs you’ll be able to find one that suits you.
Listen you can pray to God for a pool house with a jacuzzi tub or a jaguar all you want. Sometimes he won’t answer. Instead of magically making it appear on your driveway, he teaches you to work for it.
A loving father would never give his kid more than she could handle, that’s Good parenting Isn't our God a Good Good father?
Lose the Credit Cards :
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender - Proverbs 22:7 (NIV)
In this era of EMI and the culture of credit cards, getting carried away with your expenses is easy.
I saw people swipe their cards to the stage which will wipe their bank accounts empty. They do things more than they could bear.
It is not necessary to have a pre & post-wedding shoot because everyone else is doing it. Your bride doesn’t require a drone for a one-evening ceremony she needs her husband who could be there for her instead of working double shifts to cover the loans.
Trying to manage your finances while borrowing money is like attempting to fill a drum with a hole at the bottom, it will pour out. Hence grab those scissors and cut the cards.....
For the love of everything on earth please don’t vouch for others and lend them someone else’s money.
In case you think, that if you don’t help you’ll lose a friend, let's just say you helped and something went wrong then all the debt falls on you – You’ll either way lose a friend along with your mind too.
Better choices People.
What You Need not What You Want
“Have fun, even if it’s not the same kind of fun everyone else is having.” - C S Lewis
Maybe you heard it before, that’s okay I’ll say it again. Spend your money on things which you need not what you want.
You need a mobile phone – To communicate, reach out to people, and be in touch. You don’t need a tiny Pixar animation studio in your palms.
It’s okay to cook at home and Netflix and chill instead of partying every weekend. Not all your clothes need to be Chanel. The thrift shop has some cute tops too. Your Shoe rack can't hold another pair of heels.
The point is not to be cheap merely to control your impulse to match with the crowd. Self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit.
Stop buying stuff to impress or compete with people, they aren’t the ones gonna pay your bills every month
Save it for a rainy day:-
As the old saying goes, it is never bad to save up your money. After living through a year like 2020, I am convinced anything can happen anytime.
That may sound negative, though I am positive God won’t mind when you put the mind he gave you for some good work.
Again I want you to recall the servant who multiplied his talents. Jesus calls him Faithful. Your saving scheme doesn't ought to be huge. It could be a basic life insurance, a Gold saving scheme, or a piggy bank. Just keep it simple don’t overthink it.
“Proverbs 21:20 says –The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they “
Who is better to give us that advice than King Solomon himself
Be Outrageously Generous:-
This is my favorite part of this whole list. God loves a cheerful giver. The oneliner most of us should have heard during the offering part of the Service.
It doesn’t only apply there. And I am not necessarily talking about the Tithe part. We do that for our blessings.
I am talking about being a blessing.
“If our Charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small “ ~ C.S. Lewis
Give generously. Whatever you can. Chip into the donation box at your workplace, Contribute to a ministry at your church, Shop from the roadside vendors, Buy someone a decent meal, or Offer someone a handsome tip who is working on a holiday.
It is not mandatory. Yet I dare you to do this.
Once you see how good it feels to put a smile on someone else’s face you can't get enough of it. It may restrain you from buying that extra earphone or computer gear, but, it's gonna change someone’s whole month's expense – someone who is in need.
And most of all, they are gonna get the sniff of the fragrance dripping off of you and taste God’s love :)
So to sum it up,
Reading this won’t fix your problem in 30 days no this is not that kind of post. However, it will set you off on a better path, and if you practice it consistently someday you could achieve your dreams too.
You decided to manage your money = you need a Budget plan. When you learn it with a gentle nudge or perhaps a few smacks to the head by the holy spirit you’ll eventually pay off your debts and student loans.
Then master the trick of sorting your priorities and spending for what you need not what you want. Think of your future not only your present and save up funds for emergencies.
So when you ace it, when you have no payment bills pending, you’ll have money left. Give it to others. It changes lives including yours.
Isn’t that the mission we are on earth for ??!
Inspired by a Sermon “Stepping into Financial Freedom” By Dave Ramsay
Shout out to Papa Ramsay for changing my life and teaching me to handle my finances in God’s way.
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