Do you have an intended purpose for your savings account?
God has a purpose for our resources before we get them. When our resources build up, it is important that we seek God to discover His purpose.
In order to be wise and generous, we must walk worthily of the resources that God has purposefully built up in our storehouses. This means that our walk matches our talk. Consequently, we: (1) steward, (2) save, and are (3) shrewd and harmless with our resources. Last week, we examined the heart of a steward. This week, let’s look at what it means to save and be shrewd and harmless.
When we walk worthily, we save. Solomon observed: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (Proverbs 21:20). Too often, we devour our resources via the foolish use of credit cards and consumer debt. As believers, we espouse a worldview that acknowledges we live in a fallen world, yet we leave little or no margin in our budgets through saving.
When we walk worthily, we are also shrewd and harmless with our resources. Solomon cautioned: “Ill-gotten treasures are of no value but righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 10:2). In essence, he said that when our resources go up, it should be only from walking worthily, including being shrewd and harmless with others. At the same time, we must seek God’s shrewd and harmless purposes for our wealth.
Jesus illustrated the risks embedded in the marketplace, along with His desire for wisdom to endure them, when He said to His disciples: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
This week, examine your savings. Do you have enough resources to cover two to six months living expenses, should your current income cease? If not, is today the day that you start a savings plan, setting aside ten percent of your income for your future, including a kingdom purpose, as you are shrewd, yet harmless, in your dealings with others? After all, Solomon taught: “If you have to choose between a good reputation and great wealth, choose a good reputation” (Proverbs 22:1 GNT).