Troubles Inseparable from Money
Recently a cry for help was posted in our fellowship group: a doctoral student's roommate had failed to pay several months of rent, and when the student tried to talk it out he was beaten. The police were called but nothing came of it. The student suffered a fractured nose, bruised eyes, and a swollen face. It was the height of the New York pandemic, and the doctor prescribed no painkillers or anti-inflammatories; he was hurting both financially and physically. In the middle of a pandemic, how should such a thing be handled?
In campus fellowship prayer meetings we often hear students pray like this: “Ugh, I didn't get picked in the H1B lottery—I could cry, this is the third time...” “I want to go home after graduation, but I'm weighing...” “We planned to marry right after graduation, but until the visa status and jobs are settled, both sets of parents object...” “My parents will help with my finances after graduation—on the condition that I stay in the U.S....” “My OPT is about to expire and I still have no job lined up...” “Yesterday I saw brand X at 90% off online—a rare chance—so I bought a coat, but now I need to pray for self-control...” “I'm under a lot of pressure lately: papers due, and I quarreled with my boyfriend over faith and a birthday gift...”
Every one of these prayer requests is connected to money.
Our Thinking Shapes Our Finances
First we must distinguish the “financial independence” most people pursue from the financial freedom that is grounded in truth. The financial independence most people seek is limited to wealth that can be pursued and possibly obtained in this life. From that vantage point we might ask: How much savings is enough to feel secure? How many generations will the wealth last? If you become an industry giant, have you reached the peak of life? What is the purpose of pursuing profit? How can you hold wealth in financial freedom without becoming a miser?
Financial freedom grounded in truth, by contrast, is the financial outlook that flows from a Christian living out God's call to stewardship: founded on God's Word, motivated by love for God and neighbor, and carried out under the Holy Spirit's management. As for security in life, it rests on God's promises—for we already possess a truly secure and eternal treasure.
The following chain can help us see how a person's thinking shapes his financial destiny: thinking → produces financial behavior → forms financial habits → shapes financial character → financial destiny. In every age, the real danger with money lies in an unseen, latent crisis. That crisis arises from our sinful nature: we generate self-centered, mistaken thinking, and from mistaken thinking come wrong choices, ending in a sorry financial story. When a person's intentions go astray in managing money, he may become a slave to money through greed; or, through pride and rivalry, crave power as great as God's; or fall into temptation and endless toil and sorrow.
A Biblical View of Money
Scripture speaks about money in many places—and sixteen of Jesus' parables touch on finances. In His “charter of the kingdom” teaching to the disciples, Jesus said: “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also... No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money (mammon).” (see Matthew 6:20-24)
This world's economic system differs from God's. The living God owns and rules over everything; His thoughts and His ways are our unchanging, eternal core values. Christians therefore need to learn to manage the wealth God entrusts to us according to biblical understanding—this is the theology of stewardship. And how we handle money reflects our relationship with God. At the world's beginning, the Garden of Eden belonged to God; He gave humanity the responsibility to manage it and the gift of enjoying all its abundance. Yet through human greed—imagining we could seize God's sovereignty—that foolish choice brought the consequence of sin: expulsion from God's presence and abundance.
How to manage wisely the money God entrusts to us is something we face daily. A faithful steward follows two great principles: love God and love people. To love God is to fear God (see Deuteronomy 6:24); to love people is to “do to others what you would have them do to you” (see Matthew 7:12).
Examining Our Financial Behavior
As God's stewards, we begin with a humble and grateful heart, acknowledging that all wealth is entrusted by God. Thousands of years ago Moses reminded Israel's ancestors: “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 8:18)
To examine our own financial behavior, the following questions may help us search our hearts: In opportunities to earn—internships, jobs, side businesses in e-commerce, investments—are we honest? Are we greedy for money? Do we buy out of genuine need, or because we are enticed or comparing ourselves with others? Is our spending balanced with our means? Are the scale of a car purchase or a wedding driven by desire or temptation, financed by loans or even online lending to satisfy our cravings? Is there inner peace that matches our conduct? And do we help others in their need out of love?
We bring everything to God, trusting Him as our faithful Provider who knows our needs and weaknesses; and we ask the Holy Spirit to govern the use of every dollar, because we are God's stewards.
Cultivating Financial Habits
A sudden pandemic exposed how human selfishness, ignorance, and arrogance can trigger a worldwide disaster. Because of it, many Chinese students in North America could neither return nor go home, and fear of the unknown stirred up many negative emotions. With tuition and living costs possibly rising, and classes moved online, should they go home? Yet facing expensive, scarce, and uncertain flights—what a dilemma!
It is not only the pandemic that shapes us, but also the money attitudes handed down by our families of origin, cultural customs and traditions, educational background, the political environment, the convenience of the internet, easy transportation, technological development, industrial upgrading, the free spirit of creativity, the persuasive power of advertising, the many forms of investing and payment, the rise of cryptocurrency—all of these swiftly and invisibly shape our financial habits.
Jesus said we will have trouble in this world (see John 16:33). The Christian faith never promises perpetual blue skies and blooming flowers. Learning to plan financially is a faithful steward's duty, so that when unexpected needs arise our finances remain free. God-centered financial habits begin by giving God the tithe that is due; beyond setting aside basic living costs, we also make a debt-repayment plan, build an emergency fund, invest without being ruled by greed, save for travel and learning, and give generously. As Scripture says: “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return. Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2)
In addition, weigh value for money on living expenses and luxury purchases, and seek thorough counsel before investing. Building regular, healthy habits of life pleases God—maintain them even during quarantine—for a healthy body, mind, and spirit are precious wealth.
Shaping Financial Character
There is no denying that finances train a person's spiritual life and character. Money can both hinder us from a Christ-centered life and shape our character. A biblical view of finances reminds and challenges us whether, in real life, we fear God and love our neighbor as ourselves in the way we handle money.
Today people can cross borders and even leave home without carrying cash. The convenience of the internet opens the door to all kinds of information, but it also multiplies ways to spend and forms of temptation and traps. As Christians we must constantly remind ourselves that in this ever-changing world, only “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.” (Hebrews 13:8-9)
A God-belonging steward who loves God and people prays constantly: “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:7-9) Only by holding to biblical truth and being willing to have our character shaped at the cross of Christ can we keep correcting our course in a changing age.
Managing Money Begins with Managing the Heart
Jesus taught that each day has enough trouble of its own, and not to worry about tomorrow—what we will eat, drink, or wear (see Matthew 6:31-34). In that sense we have only two days: “today” and “that day.” “That day” is the day our breath stops and financial activity is no longer needed; it can also mean the day we face the final judgment. For the sake of that day, let us, on every today, be faithful to God and honest and loving toward people in our finances. In truth, every financial act today—earning, giving, using, saving, investing—reflects our relationship with God. Eternity is that real, and that closely tied to today.
May these money-related passages be a reminder to us both: “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4) “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (see Luke 12:15) “Godliness with contentment is great gain... if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that... But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life.” (see 1 Timothy 6:6-12)
So, in managing money, will I be God-centered or self-centered? Regarding the financial freedom grounded in truth, the apostle Paul summed up a wise attitude to life: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13) May we all learn in prayer to be faithful, good, and wise stewards, asking the Lord three things each day: to know You more deeply, to love You more devoutly, and to follow You more closely.
(Editor's notes: The closing prayer comes from Richard of Chichester, an English bishop (1197-1253), and was later set to several hymn tunes titled “Day by Day.” H1B is a U.S. specialty-occupation / temporary work visa; OPT, Optional Practical Training, is the post-graduation practical-training period for F1 student-visa holders.)