Mar 23 - Proverbs 13:11

he who gathers money

little by little makes it grow

Proverbs 13:11

^NIV

There is no specific command in scripture to save money. 

But ... there is a consistent drumbeat calling us to be wise. And saving money is one of the wisest things we can ever do. 

For one, saving holds our covetousness and impulsivity in check. To say "yes" to savings, we have to say "no" to covetousness and greed. Saving encourages us to conquer the insecurities that keep us accumulating. 

And most of all, in this vein, saving forces us to prioritize between "wants" and "needs."

There's a second wise purpose to saving ... freedom! 

Yesterday we talked about how borrowing robs us of future freedom and financial flexibility. Saving does just the opposite. It opens doors. It provides for contingencies. It ensures a free future.

But it starts with discipline. 

The wise thing to do is to always save 10%. Right off the top. Put it away. Religiously!

Extreme? 

No! Wise. 

Too many people in our country today are one paycheck away from disaster. What if the transmission blows? If you don't fix it, you can't get to work. If you do fix it, which other $2000 in bills don't you pay? The rent? The light bill? Child care?

Too many people keep getting stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

As a pastor, I was just in a hospital room yesterday. A child had surgery. If dad doesn't go to work, how does he pay the rent? But how does a good dad leave his wife and baby?! (This is a good, responsible family, just starting out. But so far we're just talking rent. What about the suddenly mounting medical bills?)

 

Do you see why we need to save? In fact, money managers suggest that we should have at least six months income saved for emergencies. Why? Because challenge is a part of life in this broken world. There's job losses and health crises. Are you prepared?

It obviously takes a while to build up six months of savings. But as today's verse says, "he who gathers money little by little makes it grow."

Question: Do you want to be enslaved by circumstances and debt? Or is it time to commit to an active savings plan?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't like rocks

(or hard places)