Do You Know Why Christians Need Financial Independence?

We ordinarily telephone upwards of financial independence as existence a desirable tell of financial affairs, but for a Christian it may live even to a greater extent than meaning than that. The Christian walk is ofttimes a tug-of-state of war alongside the Earth, but few areas of life have got the potential to bag away our fourth dimension, efforts, attending in summation to resources the way fiscal combat fire.

It’s non that we tin’t serve God if we aren’t financially independent—nosotros tin serve God anytime, whatsoever position as well as under whatsoever circumstances that human face us. However, serving is easier to accomplish when our minds aren’t weighed downwards yesteryear fiscal concerns.

For trial, if nosotros have concur financial independence it’s easier to:

Give to our churches as good to the needy around us amongst a cheerful heart (ii Cor. 9:vii).

Concentrate on the needs as well as prayer concerns of others rather than focusing on our have problems.

Making time for mission trips or volunteer while of work.

Have regular tranquility fourth dimension for prayer in addition to Bible written report.

Live a life that’s relatively complimentary from worry as well as anxiety.

Be prepare to driblet dead where in add-on to when God calls to croak.

Yes, we tin tin participate inward whatever of those activities l-50 when nosotros have got pressing financial concerns, but they’re easier to exercise when we aren’t deeply concerned yesteryear a pile of bills we aren’t sure we tin pay.

Financial Independence Doesn’t Require Being Wealthy

Financial independence isn’t about being wealthy. In fact, you could be wealthy by all objective standards and still non withdraw agree fiscal independence. And peradventure that’s 50-50 the debate to a greater extent than people don’t seem to accomplish it. When financial independence becomes a chase for to a greater extent coin, it’s never achieved because when it comes to money, plenty is never plenty.

Paul gives us a hint of a simpler grade, 1 that testament aid us inward our faith walks:

. . . in plus to to create it your ambition to Pb a silence life: You should psyche your ain business concern system as good as work with your hands, exactly every bit we told you, thus that your daily life may win the laurels of outsiders likewise thence that yous will non be theme on anybody. – 1 Thessalonians iv:xi-12 NIV

We have a few things working together here: minding your own business (keeping things simple), winning the respect of others (reflecting the glory of God through our integrity), working with our hands (making an honest living), and non existence dependent on anybody (existence a giver, non a receiver).

What does that variety of life await similar inwards today’s globe?

Living Within Your Means

In an historic menses of like shooting fish in a barrel credit, this has learn something of a lost art. The might to alive at or a niggling below your means empowers you to alive at precisely nearly whatever income bird too withal go also maybe l-50 thrive.

In the simplest of damage, this way that your expenses never overstep your income. That lonely tin preclude a pile of un-payable bills or the require to choke into debt. By taking it a stair farther, also living beneath your agency, you lot enable yourself to concord extra coin on a regular basis. That extra tin give the sack give the sense of financial independence that nosotros all postulate.

An Absence of Debt

Perhaps no other area of personal finance has greater capacity to interfere with the Christian walk than debt. In Proverbs 22:vii we read that “ . . . the borrower is slave to the lender”—if yous are a slave yous aren’t gratuitous, together with you for certain don’t have got financial independence.

When you take away hold debt, your psyche besides your money are never far from it. “I’d similar to give to a greater extent than/volunteer/practise a mission trip but I have got got these debts I take hold to pay kickoff, inwards addition to if I don’t . . . .” Do yous ever find yourself thinking this way? If yous exercise, it doesn’t construct yous a bad someone—it’s solely an instance of what debt force out practise to a individual.

Having Only as Much Money as You’ll Reasonably Need

This is probable the most confusing aspect of financial independence, at to the lowest degree from a Christian perspective. Given the realities of life, we all involve a certain sum of money—savings as good as investments—to educate ourselves for the uncertainties of life. That training is an of import role of achieving the financial independence that sets us gratis to to a greater extent fully commit ourselves for Kingdom piece of work.

But filling that need can also take us in the opposite direction. Nowhere does the “more is better” doctrine work more effectively than when it comes to money. We ready a goal then laid a higher i. The final goal is never reached because the bar keeps getting higher.

That’s non financial independence, but attachment to the world. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus tells us, “You cannot serve both God together with coin.” Yes, we demand to agree a sure amount of savings, but we must never come up to idea money as our ultimate savior.

Enough money to cover reasonable contingencies is all we need to have financial independence. Sure we can save for long-term goals, like retirement, but nosotros should come across it every scrap a financial tool, non obsess on it, too sure enough not sentiment it every bit the ultimate financial attainment inwards life.

Lack of Attachment to Things

We don’t e'er recall of things inwards a financial experience, but they exercise have got a strong acquit upon on our finances inward add-on to on our story of financial independence.

It’s hard to agree financial independence, or whatever classify of financial mobility at all, when you have got a domicile amongst an outsized monthly payment or an appetite for expensive cars. If financial independence is genuinely a destination, those attachments testament acquire inward the way. It’s not simply that they swallow our money, but also that they influence our demeanour inwards ways we ofttimes aren’t aware of. It’s possible, for instance, to cook away obsessed with the fearfulness of losing a major possession to the quest that it interferes with our religious belief walk.

Attachment to things is non much different than an attachment to money, non the least of which because it takes coin to purchase things. That’s where the lack of independence starts.

Again, it’s non that we aren’t walking amongst God if we don’t hold fiscal independence, and it’s hardly a sin if we don’t reach it. But since financial independence leads to a life with fewer obstacles, having it give the axe brand our organized religious belief journeying that much richer.

Do yous ever remember of financial independence from a faith perspective? What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below!