Struggling to Give and Save?

Are you struggling to give and save?

People often struggle with the desire to save more while also giving more. Most of the articles I’ve read online talk only about increasing our savings, but not our giving. Yet, the Bible clearly instructs us to make giving our top financial priority. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

We honor the Lord by putting Him first in giving. It’s not because He needs our money. It’s because WE need to be conformed into His image. He’s the greatest giver of all. Giving demonstrates our love for Him and that we care about His kingdom.  We do this by automatically giving off the top of everything we earn. This habit helps break the grip of materialism in our lives and puts us in the place of greater dependency on the Lord. The verse does not promise wealth and prosperity. It assures us that we serve a God of abundance. We don’t have to fear when we give, for He abundantly provides for our needs, but the Bible also teaches us to be like the ant and save. The Bible says we gain wisdom from studying this tiny creature with a very tiny brain. This saving discipline should come after we’ve established the habit of giving off the top. If you have consumer debt, set a goal to eliminate it, but that’s not your first priority. Give first, save something, then tackle the debt.

And if you want to give and save but you’re stuck with credit card debt, Christian Credit Counselors can help. They will create a debt management plan just for you. For more visit crown.org/ccc.