Kingdom Finances: Honoring God with Our Money

Kingdom Finances: Honoring God with Our Money

The rising costs of groceries and other things we need for daily living can make balancing our budgets challenging.  It's easy to get in the mindset of viewing money as a means to an end, but as believers, we are called to a higher standard.  Kingdom finances involve honoring God with our money, seeing it as a tool for His purposes rather than just a way to keep the bills paid.  When we change our mindset to see money as not our own, but God's money that He has given to us to steward, it can deepen our relationship with God.  Then we see our money as Kingdom Finances and we can live a lifestyle of honoring God with our money.

Understanding Kingdom Finances

Kingdom finances are rooted in Biblical principles that guide us in handling our money wisely and generously. The Bible emphasizes that everything we have ultimately belongs to God.  Acknowledging God as the owner of all gives us a different perspective on our wealth and resources.

The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who live in it. - Psalm 24:1

The Principle of Stewardship

At the heart of honoring God with our finances is the concept of stewardship. Stewardship means that we are not the ultimate owners of our resources; instead, we are caretakers. This mindset encourages us to manage our finances in ways that align with God’s will. Matthew 25:14-30 tells the parable of the talents, illustrating the importance of using our resources wisely and productively. When we view our finances through the lens of stewardship, we prioritize God's kingdom above our material desires.

For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents. In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

“Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’

“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Generosity as a Reflection of Faith

Honoring God with our money is not just about how we spend; it's also about how we give. Generosity is a reflection of our faith and trust in God’s provision. 2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver. Giving to the church and supporting those in need are tangible ways to demonstrate our commitment to honoring God with our resources. By practicing generosity, we align our hearts with God's priorities and help advance His Kingdom on earth.

Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7

Budgeting: Honoring God with Our Planning

Another practical aspect of Kingdom finances is budgeting. Creating a budget that reflects our values and priorities allows us to allocate our funds wisely. The Biblical principles of saving, investing, and spending thoughtfully can help ensure we honor God in our financial decisions. When we create a budget, we can set aside a portion for giving, a portion for savings, and ensure our spending aligns with our faith-based values.

Trusting God in Financial Decisions

It’s important to acknowledge that honoring God with our finances requires faith. In moments of financial uncertainty, we may be tempted to rely solely on our own understanding or resources. However, Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” By placing our trust in God, we can navigate our financial decisions confidently, knowing He is our ultimate provider.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Living with an Eternal Perspective

Finally, honoring God with our money requires an eternal perspective. Colossians 3:2 urges us to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. This perspective encourages us to invest in what truly matters: relationships, community, and the spreading of the Gospel. As we prioritize Kingdom investments over material gain, we cultivate a life that reflects God’s love and purpose.

Kingdom finances encompass more than managing money—they represent a lifestyle of worship and obedience. By embracing stewardship, practicing generosity, budgeting wisely, trusting God, and maintaining an eternal perspective, we truly honor God with our finances. Every financial choice we make holds the potential to glorify God and further His Kingdom.

Kingdom Finances Challenge: A 28-Day Devotional Journal

Kingdom Finances Challenge: A 28-Day Devotional Journal

Welcome to the 28-Day Kingdom Finances Challenge!

In a world that often measures success by wealth and possessions, it’s easy to develop mindsets about money that are shaped more by culture than by Christ. But as faith-led entrepreneurs and believers, we are called to view finances through the lens of God’s Word—understanding that money is not the goal, but a tool for Kingdom impact.

This 28-day challenge is designed to help you align your finances with God’s principles, renew your mind about money, and take practical steps to steward your resources wisely.

Whether you’ve struggled with financial stress, uncertainty about how to manage what God has entrusted to you, or simply desire to deepen your understanding of Biblical wealth, this journey will help you shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance, from fear to faith, and from self-reliance to full dependence on God as your Provider.

Each day, you will receive:

✅ A Scripture focus to meditate on and apply

✅ A short reflection to challenge and renew your perspective

✅ A practical task to take action and implement Biblical financial stewardship

By the end of this challenge, you’ll not only have a clearer understanding of God's design for money, but you’ll also have taken meaningful steps toward financial alignment with His will—allowing you to experience greater peace, provision, and purpose in your business and personal life.

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Kingdom Finances: Honoring God with Our Money

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Money-Saving Tips for Back-to-School Shopping

Money-Saving Tips for Back-to-School Shopping

Back-to-school season can be exciting yet financially stressful for many families. From buying new clothes to stocking up on school supplies, the costs can quickly add up. However, with some savvy shopping strategies, you can save money and stick to your budget. Here are some money-saving tips for back-to-school shopping:

1. Set a Budget: 

Set a realistic budget for back-to-school expenses before shopping. A clear spending limit will help you prioritize your purchases and avoid overspending.

2. Take Inventory: 

Review your children's closets and school supplies from the previous year to see what can be reused. Some items are still in good condition and can be used for the upcoming school year.

3. Shop Sales and Clearance: 

Watch for sales, discounts, and clearance items at your favorite stores. Many retailers offer back-to-school promotions, so take advantage of these deals to save money.

4. Use Coupons and Promo Codes: 

Look for coupons and promo codes online or in your local newspaper. Websites like RetailMeNot and Coupons.com offer a wide range of discounts that can help you save on clothing, shoes, and school supplies.

5. Buy in Bulk: 

For items like pencils, pens, and notebooks, consider buying in bulk. Purchasing larger quantities often means a lower cost per unit, saving you money in the long run.

6. Compare Prices: 

Compare prices at different stores or online retailers before purchasing. You may find the same item is priced lower elsewhere, allowing you to get the best deal.

7. Shop Tax-Free Weekends: 

Many states offer tax-free weekends during the back-to-school season. Take advantage of these weekends to buy eligible items without paying sales tax.

8. Consider Secondhand Options: 

Explore secondhand stores, consignment shops, and online marketplaces for affordable clothing and school supplies. You can find gently used items at a fraction of the price of new ones.

9. DIY Supplies: 

Get creative and consider making some school supplies yourself. For example, you can decorate plain notebooks and folders or sew unique pencil cases. Not only is this budget-friendly, but it can also be a fun activity for you and your kids.

10. Plan for the Future: 

If you come across great deals on items that your kids will need later in the school year or the following year, consider stocking up while the prices are low.

By implementing these money-saving tips, you can make back-to-school shopping more affordable and less stressful. With careful planning and strategic shopping, you can ensure your kids are well-prepared for the new school year without breaking the bank.

The Complete Back-to-School Guide for Parents and Students

The Complete Back-to-School Guide for Parents and Students

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Money-Saving Tips for Back-to-School Shopping

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This post is taken from my personal Bible study notes during my pastor's sermon titled Money Margin.

Creating Financial Margin Space

Let's take a look at a verse in Proverbs.

There is precious treasure and oil in the home of the wise, but a foolish person swallows it up.  Proverbs 21:20

This verse does not speak to the rich person or the poor person.  This verse speaks to the wise person.  We've been covering the topic of margin space.  Margin is the space between your load and your limit.  We need margin space so that we don't become overloaded with busyness, so that we make the best choices in life, so that we can deal with our feelings, and so that we can concentrate on our best relationships.  We also need financial margin space so that we can wisely manage our resources.  

Financial margin leads to joy, peace, and contentment.  

No financial margin space leads to no joy, no peace, and no contentment.

Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.  And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger.  I am the Lord your God.  Leviticus 19:9-10

We should not consume everything.  The more margin we create, the more free we are and the more freely we can give.

We shouldn't live above our incomes.  This creates bondage.  Let's not fall into toxic financial traps.

Let's act our wage.

Creating Financial Margin Space

Financial margin is a heart issue and a wisdom issue, not an income issue.

1.  Financial margin is a heart issue no matter what our income is.

Greed and discontentment are bad things.  

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.  Proverbs 4:23

Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both having abundance and suffering need.  Philippians 4:11-12.

We aren't born with contentment.  We learn it.

Christ is sufficient.  Jesus meets our every need.

I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13

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Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you."  Hebrews 13:5

God will never leave us.  Money will.

Let's be free from the love of money . . . 

So that we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper.  I will not be afraid.  What will man do to me?"  Hebrews 13:6.

Jesus is our "ever constant."  The world is not.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.  For we have brought nothing into the world so we cannot take anything out of it either.  If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.  But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  1 Timothy 6:6-10

2.  Financial margin is a wisdom issue.  

Let's manage our financial resources wisely. 

*Spend less than we earn.

*Plan for the future,

*Eliminate debt.

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*Pursue margin.

*Give generously

Let's tithe our first and our best.  God will bless the rest.

Are you someone who already has a lot of financial margin?  Don't worship it.  Use it for Kingdom building.

Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, but is in the income of the wicked.  Proverbs 15:6

This post is taken from my personal Bible study notes during my pastor's sermon.  You are invited to watch that sermon in its entirety here.

 

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Generosity is more about what God wants for you than from you.  If I refuse to be generous, God will not go bankrupt.  Everything belongs to God anyway.  The following are my Bible study notes based on my pastor's sermon titled "When Generosity Becomes a Movement."

When Generosity Becomes a Movement

When Generosity Becomes a Movement

One of the ways we reflect God in our lives is through generous living.  How do we live a generous life?  It begins with our resources.  There are several different levels of giving.

1.  Beginning Giver
2.  Consistent Giver
3.  Tither
4.  Expanding Giver
5.  Extravagant Giver

While deciding what kind of giver you are, consider who has your heart.  Does God have all of you?

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:20-21

Also, consider the question, "Who is your leader?"

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. - Matthew 6:24

Are there other ways to be generous?  Yes.  We can be generous with:

*Gratitude:  Place a gift card in a note or generously tip your servers.

*Affirmation:  Praise others.

*Time:  Be where you are supposed to be and be on time.

*Serving:  Serve people.  Serve outside of your gifted areas.  

Generous living is not the act we do but it is in the way we live.  When you are growing in generosity, God is growing you up.  

The Legacy Journey: A Radical View of Biblical Wealth and Generosity is available here!

Read John 6 (yep, the whole chapter).  You'll find it here at Bible Gateway.

Generosity is an opportunity to test our faith.  In John 6, Jesus was testing Philip.  Jesus knew what He was going to do but He wanted to see if Philip trusted Him.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. - Malachi 3:10

Generosity is not in the amount you give.

There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people? - John 6:9

And this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. - 2 Corinthians 8:5

Generosity always multiplies. 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish fed thousands.

There are two types of people:  Those who come to God for a handout and those who come to God to be a handout.

We can't out-generous God.

When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. - John 6:12-13

There were leftovers!  There were lots of leftovers.  You cannot out-generous God.  He will always multiply.

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written,

“He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever.”

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. - 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Remember the 3 Ps.

1.  Priority:  Make giving a priority.

2.  Percentage:  Change your percentages of giving if you need to as you follow God's leading.

3.  Progressive:  Always taking steps to give more. 

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***Read all posts in the generosity series here.

Money (Bible Study on the Book of James)

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Today’s topic from our Bible study in the book of James is “Money.”  Recently, our pastor preached a sermon series on the Book of James.  These are my Bible study notes based on his sermon.

Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

(Proverbs 30:8-9)

Money:  James 5:1-6

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.  James 5:1-6

Avoid the ungodly and wrong uses of money.

Don’t be a hoarder.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. – Matthew 6:19-20  

Don’t be a cheater.

You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he will not cry against you to the Lord and it become sin in you. – Deuteronomy 24:14-15 

Don’t be a self-server.

Apply your heart to discipline and your ears to words of knowledge. – Proverbs 23:12  

Apply the Godly and right use of money.

How we get money:   

 Don’t obtain money dishonestly.

Make sure the method doesn’t hurt your health.

Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. – Proverbs 23:4

Make sure your method of obtaining money doesn’t hurt your family.

Make sure your method of obtaining money doesn’t hurt your testimony! 

Make sure your method of obtaining money doesn’t hurt others. “Don’t step on people’s heads while your climbing the ladder to success.”

How we guard money:

Saving money is encouraged.  It helps us prepare for the future.  This is different from hoarding. 

There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up. – Proverbs 21:20 

How we give money:

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and it results only in want. – Proverbs 22:24 

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. – Matthew 6:20 

Audit yourself:

Take a look at the way you manage your money and see if you are being obedient in the scriptural principles of this message.

Final Note

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. – 1 Timothy 6:17

You'll find all my posts about this study on the book of James here.