When my husband and I got married in 1993 we lived in a small, furnished apartment. It had old furniture, nasty carpet, and brick interior walls. It wasn’t the best, but we were happy to have it. Our rent was $265 a month. He worked as much as possible making just over $5 an hour and I worked full-time at an unpaid internship. That first year there were many weeks that after paying our bills we were left with just barely $20. So, we set aside $5 to give to church and we would be left with $10-15 to spend on groceries and gas. After we had been married for about 6 months, our landlord informed us that he would be raising the rent to $280 a month. I remember saying to my husband, “We can’t do it. How in the world are we going to be able to afford an extra $15 a month!”

I was reminded of this the other day when I pulled through a coffee shop and ordered 2 drinks that cost just over $15. Boy, have times changed! People make more money now, but prices have skyrocketed. That same apartment would no doubt be 5 times the cost. Indeed, the dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. How many times have you said, “I just can’t afford it”?

Money impacts us all. Think about your typical day. From the moment you wake up, everything you touch has a connection to money. You either owe money for it, or it was purchased with money. You get up and get dressed for work so you can earn money. The food you eat and the clothes you wear cost money. Providing essentials for your family takes money. Driving takes money. Money is a part of life and something we cannot live without. It is no wonder the Bible speaks so much on the subject.

The Scriptures tell us that money and wealth are blessings from God (Deuteronomy 8:18, Proverbs 10:22). It also tells us that the Christian should not love it, hoard it, be proud because of it, or seek its security (1 Timothy 6:6-17). The pursuit of money should not be our goal (Proverbs 23:4). But being a good steward should be. The foundational truth is this: It all belongs to God. It’s not ours. Every day that we are given wisdom, health, and the ability to work is because God gives it to us. Every dime in our bank account and every piece of wealth we own is because God allows us to have it. Understanding and fully grasping this truth will completely change one’s perspective on everything.

A story is told of a very wealthy man who fell into financial ruin and lost everything. As a Christian, he spent his life generously giving to the Church. One day, shortly after his misfortune, he was walking past the Church and a man from the community stopped him to talk. “Now that you’ve lost everything wouldn’t you love to have back all that money you’ve given to the Church over the years?” The Christian replied, “That, my friend, is the only wealth I did not lose.”

The world doesn’t get it. Sometimes, even Christians don’t. We live for the moment and use worldly wisdom. We say, “I can’t afford to give.” But this man had a biblical perspective. He knew the words of Jesus. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Matthew 6:19-21.

Where is your treasure? Are you giving your time, talents, and treasure back to God to be stored up in heaven? Are you a faithful steward? Are you sowing bountifully and giving back to God cheerfully? “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver,” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.

Giving back to God is an interesting paradox in that it doesn’t always make sense. However, God says to test Him in this. “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it,” Malachi 3:10.

Remember that it is God that gives us all things. If we are selfish and stingy and hold onto money with clenched fists, nothing else can get in. But, if we hold onto the money God gives us with open hands, He can add more. “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” Proverbs 11:24. While some will say, “I can’t afford to give,” my reply is that I simply cannot afford not to.