Part 3 of 3-Part Series
Your Money? God’s Money? Whose Money Is It? and How Well Do You Steward God’s Money? framed a Biblical worldview of money and provided an opportunity for self-assessment against that standard. Living in the “of the world” can make it difficult to have clarity on money ownership, and at times, it can be painful to be honest about our short-comings. Don’t beat yourself up. Instead of wasting time ruminating on what you should have done in the past, decide what steps you can take to move forward.
“Money makes a terrible master but is a good servant to those who are God’s money masters.” — Sandra Dillon
Although your next moves should be prayerfully God-inspired, if you have difficulty hearing God’s voice, below are a few suggestions to consider:
- Spend time with God daily asking for His guidance on how to steward His money?
- Research and pray on Biblical Scripture that speaks to money and its stewardship? What ideas come to mind?
- Commit to giving at least a tithe (10%) of your income for service.
- Research and commit to giving at least a tithe of your time to service in a ministry that speaks to your heart and talents.
- Track where the money you have access to “comes and goes” (income and expenses) over 3 months. When you take an honest look at the numbers, are you honoring God with your decisions? Are you living beyond your means or extravagantly within your means?
- What can you give up to demonstrate that you have self-control and discipline when it comes to money management?
- If your income was reduced overnight by 25% and you couldn’t go further into debt to fund your lifestyle, what cuts would you make to your expenses? After completing this exercise, why not do it and see how you can successfully live on less? Then give away the rest in a way that multiples the gift.
“Be content with what you have, learn to live on nothing, so you can live on everything.” — Sandra Dillon
Materialism, not money, brings anxiety and worry. Do I have enough? It creates independence and self-sufficiency which creates a degree of separation from God. When we depend on ourselves, we need less of God. And materialism leads to pride and elitism reflected in thoughts such as “I have more, therefore, I’m better than others.”
“Materialism blinds us to our spiritual poverty. Those that love money will never have enough.” — Sandra Dillon
Remember that God’s money is under your management. Are you a good money manager? Or are you storing up treasures on earth when you should be focused on heaven. Because it’s so easy for those of us in developed nations to suffer from affluence, have a distorted relationship with money, and a separation from God, we should do a yearly check-up. Check your money worldview, do a self-assessment, and then make the necessary changes that help you put some “Kingdom currency” in your heavenly bank account based on your money decisions on earth.
Do you want to be known as the richest person in the cemetery or the richest soul in God’s Kingdom. Make some decisions now that provide a bit of personal suffering. You’ll survive, and I guarantee you will strengthen, build resilience, and others will be inspired by watching God work through you. God will reward you for blessing those who could not repay you.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a professional coach with an extensive background in premarital/marriage, finances, ministry, and leadership. She coaches individuals and couples to find their purpose, be the heroes of their own life stories, and help them be a shining light in this spiritually dark world. You can learn more about Sandra or engage her as you coach by reaching out to her at shinecrossings@gmail.com
What’s your favorite quote on money? That was the question asked in a Q&A while leading my Affording Your Lifestyle workshop for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. There’s hundreds of quotes to take to heart or take to the bank. I share my favorite in every financial workshop: “If you can’t live on $30,000 a year, you won’t be able to live on $300,000.” If you won’t live on a balanced budget when you don’t have two nickels to rub together, you’ll never have the discipline to live within your means and create long-term wealth.
Overwhelming college debt can sap energy and joy, as well as interfere with life calling, because significant resources are funneled to pay off those loans—making it feel like one is dragging around a ball and chain for ten years. Not even personal bankruptcy can dissolve this financial burden—a lifetime sentence until it is repaid. I am neither advocating for or against pursuing a college degree, and these words come from a chemical engineer with an MBA, who will also receive her second masters in life coaching in 2017. I believe a college education can open more doors for career and job choices as well as develop new worldviews, critical thinking, discipline, commitment, friendships, and a sense of community. However, I am recommending that before taking on any debt that everyone understand what they are called to do, how post-secondary education will support that purpose, and then using sound judgment to determine the best path forward. Approaches can include community college, part-time vs. full-time, scholarships, employer incentives, military benefits, etc. You may ask how did I pay for my education? I focused on good grades, worked when not studying, saved, sacrificed, applied for scholarships and loans, and was rewarded with grants and reasonable loans to pair with my savings the first time. The second time I worked full-time while going for my graduate degree part-time, taking advantage of my employer’s partial tuition reimbursement benefit in conjunction with my savings. The third time around I worked and saved for my full tuition, hence my return to college at 53 years old.
coach students and parents on personal finances, this simple matrix translates the amount of student debt into a monthly payment for 10 years at various interest levels. Some students are financing teaching degrees at prestigious 4-year universities, taking on over $100,000 of debt for a job which will only pay $50,000 per year. When asked “How will you put a roof over your head if you have to pay $1,000 a month towards school loans?” their facial expressions reflect confusion, surprise, and worry. What I find more troublesome are students who are financing college under an “undecided” major. These students usually take upwards of 5 to 7 years to graduate—incurring more debt than if they would have paused after high school, worked, figured out what degree fit their life plan, and
then pursued their education over 4 years. Powell (2016) reported that the average college graduate debt is $37,000 in 2016. Many of the entry-level, non-science based jobs for these graduates do not pay that amount per year. Many graduates have no idea when their loans will be paid off.
About the Author: Sandra Dillon is a business, life, and marital coach with an extensive background in business development and leadership. She coaches others in how to develop and execute life plans, develop successful businesses, and build better relationships by identifying and living their personal values, enhancing skills and competencies, and being held accountable for executing their defined goals. 
Shine Crossings Ministry 