The Spiritual Aspects of Living Debt Free
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Stephen Lau
Copyright (c) 2008 Stephen Lau
To maintain debt free all your life, you must be willing to tackle the spiritual as well as the practical aspects of money and finance. The three basic spiritual aspects of money management are gratitude, sharing, and trust.
Be grateful of what you have, and stop complaining!
Why is gratitude important?
God may have given you less than others ‘ or at least that may be what you think. Remember, everything is relative. Maybe God has given you less so that you will have the incentive to make more.
In your present life, you may be struggling from paycheck to paycheck; you may be working hard, and still you can hardly keep your head above water.
“You plant much but harvest little. You have scarcely enough to eat or drink and not enough clothes to keep you warm. Your income disappears, as though you were putting it into pockets filled with holes.” Haggai 1:6
Yes, your pockets may seem to be filled with holes. Nonetheless, be grateful! Instead of whining, put your time and effort on making money to live a debt-free lifestyle.
Whatever you have, however meager it may be, share it with those who are less fortunate than yourself.
“‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be food enough in my Temple; if you do so, I will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough to take it in! Try it! Le me prove it to you. . . . ,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Malachi 3:10-11
You are willing to give and share in spite of your meager possession because you trust in God. You wholeheartedly believe that God some day may actually “open up windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough for it” as He promised.
Your giving is based on your trust, not on your own need. Mother Teresa once said: the more you give, the more you will receive. It is more than giving out from your surplus: it is sharing out of your lack.
You should follow God’s principles of living based on these three spiritual aspects of gratitude, sharing, and trusting, which should be interwoven in your attitudes towards money and finance.
These attitudes are not only life-changing, but also attainable. The right spiritual attitudes help you break your bad spending habits. They are not only exemplary but necessary for success in curbing spending and making you ultimately debt free for your financial freedom.
Another important attitude towards your money and finance is that God owns it all and that you are merely a steward of God’s money. When you come to think of that, you have your personal responsibilities to fulfill your stewardship. Responsibilities of good stewardship include the following: diligence and productivity (if you don’t work hard, you will not make money); proper time management (if you cannot manage your time, you will find it difficult to manage your money); and self-discipline (if you don’t control your spending, you will never get out of debt).
So, stop spending on yourself, start giving to others, discipline your spending, begin to live below, not beyond, your means, and start saving for the future.
If you are in debt right now, only YOU can make a difference in your financial life. Only YOU can set a financial goal for yourself and work at it. Only YOU can exercise the self-discipline to spend below your means and still give to others in spite of your lack. But all these require your trust in God, and God’s blessings, which often come in the form of wisdom. Yes, you may be working hard, but your pockets are “filled with holes.” You need God to show you the way ‘ the right way to make money and the smart money management to stay debt free. If you believe everything comes from God, and you are willing to share what you have and trust in divine providence, you will be living debt free for the rest of your life.
Allison
Copyright (c) 2008 Stephen Lau
To maintain debt free all your life, you must be willing to tackle the spiritual as well as the practical aspects of money and finance. The three basic spiritual aspects of money management are gratitude, sharing, and trust.
Be grateful of what you have, and stop complaining!
Why is gratitude important?
God may have given you less than others ‘ or at least that may be what you think. Remember, everything is relative. Maybe God has given you less so that you will have the incentive to make more.
In your present life, you may be struggling from paycheck to paycheck; you may be working hard, and still you can hardly keep your head above water.
“You plant much but harvest little. You have scarcely enough to eat or drink and not enough clothes to keep you warm. Your income disappears, as though you were putting it into pockets filled with holes.” Haggai 1:6
Yes, your pockets may seem to be filled with holes. Nonetheless, be grateful! Instead of whining, put your time and effort on making money to live a debt-free lifestyle.
Whatever you have, however meager it may be, share it with those who are less fortunate than yourself.
“‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be food enough in my Temple; if you do so, I will open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough to take it in! Try it! Le me prove it to you. . . . ,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Malachi 3:10-11
You are willing to give and share in spite of your meager possession because you trust in God. You wholeheartedly believe that God some day may actually “open up windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough for it” as He promised.
Your giving is based on your trust, not on your own need. Mother Teresa once said: the more you give, the more you will receive. It is more than giving out from your surplus: it is sharing out of your lack.
You should follow God’s principles of living based on these three spiritual aspects of gratitude, sharing, and trusting, which should be interwoven in your attitudes towards money and finance.
These attitudes are not only life-changing, but also attainable. The right spiritual attitudes help you break your bad spending habits. They are not only exemplary but necessary for success in curbing spending and making you ultimately debt free for your financial freedom.
Another important attitude towards your money and finance is that God owns it all and that you are merely a steward of God’s money. When you come to think of that, you have your personal responsibilities to fulfill your stewardship. Responsibilities of good stewardship include the following: diligence and productivity (if you don’t work hard, you will not make money); proper time management (if you cannot manage your time, you will find it difficult to manage your money); and self-discipline (if you don’t control your spending, you will never get out of debt).
So, stop spending on yourself, start giving to others, discipline your spending, begin to live below, not beyond, your means, and start saving for the future.
If you are in debt right now, only YOU can make a difference in your financial life. Only YOU can set a financial goal for yourself and work at it. Only YOU can exercise the self-discipline to spend below your means and still give to others in spite of your lack. But all these require your trust in God, and God’s blessings, which often come in the form of wisdom. Yes, you may be working hard, but your pockets are “filled with holes.” You need God to show you the way ‘ the right way to make money and the smart money management to stay debt free. If you believe everything comes from God, and you are willing to share what you have and trust in divine providence, you will be living debt free for the rest of your life.
Allison
