In 2019 it seems that we as Christians are increasingly being put in a position of having to choose between the ways of the world (political correctness) or to stand firm for the teachings of the Bible. Being a Christian should change the way you approach everything in life. This includes how we handle money. Scripture places so much emphasis on stewardship issues because how we handle our money and other possessions reflects our life priorities.

This column deals with various financial issues each month. As Christians, we need to be reminded from time to time of the different perspective we should have in dealing with these issues. I frequently like to remind us of five perspectives regarding money that we should reflect as Christians. Note that I emphasize, “reflect” – it is one thing to say we believe them. It is another to put them in practice in such a way that others see the difference and it becomes a testimony of our relationship with God. Remember the old adage: “Actions speak louder than words.”

1. Our possessions are temporal. We all agree that you “can’t take it with you.” Do people see in us an attitude towards our possessions that reflects that belief? (2 Peter 3:10; Luke 12:15b)

2. Our possessions are not a source for pride, power, prestige or conceit. This is the world’s attitude toward money and possessions. We are to be different. (1 Tim. 6:17)

3. God owns it all. We are stewards. We should approach our possessions as managers of something that belongs to someone else, not as owners. (Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 12:16-21)

4. Concern for family financial support is scriptural. 1 Tim. 5:8 states, “If anyone does not provide for his family, especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than unbeliever.” To do that in today’s world requires a healthy concern about money. As Jonathan Swift put it, “Every man ought to have money on his mind. No man ought to have money on his heart.”

5. Our stewardship is an outward visible indicator of an inner spiritual condition. Show me how someone handles their money and it tells me volumes about their relationship with God.

Christianity doesn’t just provide answers for 10 percent of our money any more than it only provides a way to live only on Sunday morning.

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Don Spencer is Kentucky Baptist Convention Church Financial Benefits Consultant.