Nowadays,
to survive on faith is never easy: it requires not only Biblical wisdom but
also human wisdom in order to create the financial freedom necessary to make
both ends meet.
To
get financial
freedom, you need human wisdom to do the following:
(1) Always spend less than
you earn. Do not fall into the trap of buy-now-and-pay-later, which may
be forever.
(2) Do not spend money on the things you don't need
with the money you don't have. Turn your debt-servicing dollars into you-servicing
dollars, that is, use your money to serve yourself first,
not the credit card companies.
(3) Start saving early. Do not procrastinate. The
perils of procrastination contribute to the vicious cycle of debt and
expenditure. Remember, expenditures always rise to meet income: the less you
have, the less you will spend.
(4) Save regularly. The simple solution to saving
regularly is always paying yourself first, instead of others. To put
it into application, set aside automatically a sum of money every month before you
pay others, or spend it on yourself.
Living in faith and surviving on faith to create
financial freedom require you to trust in the Word of God to prepare not just
for the difficult times but also for the future, as well as to execute what you
must do with human wisdom
"Go to the ant, O sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,
Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,
Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest." (Proverbs 6:6-8)
It is easy to see that the spiritual application
teaches about preparing for eternal life, but the practical interpretation is a
clear message about the importance of handling material things today in
anticipation of the needs of tomorrow. Survival on faith is certainly a tool to
survive in any economic downturn.
Jesus' parable about the unjust steward handling the
investment that was entrusted to him is another testament to the importance of
handling money diligently and wisely. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Again, Paul taught
this: Be "Not slothful in business." (Romans 12:11)
Maintaining balance between practical handling of
material things and living in faith for financial freedom requires both
Biblical and human wisdom.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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