Financial Priorities
I have really enjoyed this series. Moving from financial dreams to goals to priorities is such a valuable process, especially as you work in relationship with a husband or wife who also has opinions about your financial decisions.
Today, in thinking about financial priorities, consider with me the freedom that comes from relying on God to reveal His call on your life and His role for you. As I said in the video, when I was a younger man, God placed me in a ministry position and also gave me five children. My calling was to His work, and my role at home was that of husband and father. Even though I maintained financial goals over the years (such as paying off our home, giving significantly to ministries we care about, educating our children, etc.), my calling did not really generate very much income for a period of several years. As a result, Judy and I needed to be very intentional about our financial priorities. We recognized that God had given us the role of parents and that we needed to responsibly carry out that role as our children were growing up. Often, the priority of parenting meant that there was no extra money to pre-pay our mortgage, or it meant that our giving was less abundant that we would have liked for it to be, ideally. Because Judy and I were sure that God had called us into the ministry of biblically based financial advice, and because we knew that He wanted us to fulfill the role of parents to our children, we were free to live out of some well-defined priorities that related to that role and allow other financial goals to wait in our lives.
As you walk through the process of dreaming, goal setting, and then establishing your priorities, consider the calling that God has placed on your life (everyone has a calling, according to Ephesians 2:10), and consider the role that God has given you (parent, spouse, leader, follower, worker, invalid, etc.) I pray that you will find greater freedom in your financial thinking as you remember that God has put you in a certain place for a certain purpose at this season in your life.
May God’s peace encourage you as you pursue financial wisdom and depend on His Truth.
Blessings,
Ron
Click here for the video transcript
Today, in thinking about financial priorities, consider with me the freedom that comes from relying on God to reveal His call on your life and His role for you. As I said in the video, when I was a younger man, God placed me in a ministry position and also gave me five children. My calling was to His work, and my role at home was that of husband and father. Even though I maintained financial goals over the years (such as paying off our home, giving significantly to ministries we care about, educating our children, etc.), my calling did not really generate very much income for a period of several years. As a result, Judy and I needed to be very intentional about our financial priorities. We recognized that God had given us the role of parents and that we needed to responsibly carry out that role as our children were growing up. Often, the priority of parenting meant that there was no extra money to pre-pay our mortgage, or it meant that our giving was less abundant that we would have liked for it to be, ideally. Because Judy and I were sure that God had called us into the ministry of biblically based financial advice, and because we knew that He wanted us to fulfill the role of parents to our children, we were free to live out of some well-defined priorities that related to that role and allow other financial goals to wait in our lives.
As you walk through the process of dreaming, goal setting, and then establishing your priorities, consider the calling that God has placed on your life (everyone has a calling, according to Ephesians 2:10), and consider the role that God has given you (parent, spouse, leader, follower, worker, invalid, etc.) I pray that you will find greater freedom in your financial thinking as you remember that God has put you in a certain place for a certain purpose at this season in your life.
May God’s peace encourage you as you pursue financial wisdom and depend on His Truth.
Blessings,
Ron
Click here for the video transcript
Thanks for including invalids in your "calling" example list! Those of us who are disabled enjoy being included!
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I have always found that our priorities are clearly stated through our spending history not our stated goals. Just as our real diet is not measured by what we put on the table, but by what we put in our mouth.
Thanks Ron
Mark Strohm
http://thriftytimes.com
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