Lord’s Day, Vol. 5 No. 08
Seven Fundamentals of Personal Finance
Principle 1: God ordained work
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
First, understand the truth that God ordained work. This is a consequence of the fall of man (Genesis 3:19). Man is to work in order to sustain his physical life. So human labour is ordained by God to sustain man physically till the day he dies. Man shall receive the fruit of his labour. It is God’s grace to man as work keeps him from indulging in sin as a consequence of idleness.
Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 3:12 to receive our provisions through diligent labour. “Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.”
Principle 2: God is the Giver of Wealth
Deuteronomy 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
God is the One who prospers His people by giving them health and strength that they may labour and get wealth. He is the One who sends rain and ripens the harvest. All that Israel have, come from the good hand of God. Israel is instructed to acknowledge God as the Giver of wealth.
God blesses us with wages for our labour. We are to acknowledge that He is sovereign in giving us jobs that we may “in quietness work and eat our bread.” (2 Thes 3:12).
Principle 3: God requires that we give of our first fruits to Him
Deuteronomy 14:22-23 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
What is the real purpose of the tithe? The tithe serves to support the vital functions of the church ministries. However, the underlying purpose of the tithe is to learn to fear the Lord. God has promised to give wisdom and blessing to those who fear Him.[1]Therefore the weekly tithe must remind us that if God withholds, we will not be able to give.
The principle of tithing is settled in God’s Word for the saints as Abraham paid tithes long before Moses gave the written law to Israel (Genesis 14:20). Jacob promised the Lord, setting for us a spiritual example, “and of all that thou shalt give me I will give the tenth unto thee” (Genesis 28:22).
The Apostle Paul exhorts believers in respect of giving, “see that ye abound in this grace also” (2 Corinthians 8:7). There is no reason to believe that a New Testament saint should be called to less faithfulness, less generosity, or less grace than the Old Testament believer.
Christians are on a generous 90% commission on everything the Lord blesses us with! Withholding tithes is tantamount to stealing from God (Malachi 3:8), which will result in, “he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6).
Malachi 3:10 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.
Principle 4: God instructs us to provide for the needs of our family
1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Every head of the home has the duty to make provision for members of his own house. For one who does not this duty is regarded as worse than an unbeliever (in the sense, an outsider). Even the unbeliever, who has no understanding of God’s love and His power to provide, does in a way provide for his own family. How much more should God’s children, who have tasted of His goodness, do so.
In this light, 2 it is man’s duty to honour and give thanks to his parents by giving them a portion of his material substance. Our parents are representatives of God on earth. It is through them that we receive life. Especially when our parents are old and retired, it is indeed our privilege to care and provide for them.
To be continued…
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee
[1]Man’s Manual Vol. II, Institute of Basic Life Principles, Inc., 1983, 37.
2 Ibid., 67.