One of my all-time favorite Bible passages also happens to relate to personal finances. Acts 4:32-35 says, “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had needs” (ESV). As Christians, we should not consider our money ours, but instead God’s. We should use what God has given us to help others in need--we should buy what is necessary for survival, and give the rest to the poor. While this might sound like socialism, the difference between this and socialism is the fact that in socialism the government forces equality, whereas by following the Bible you should do it by choice, not force. As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly (some translations grudgingly) or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” As we can see from this verse, God only wants what comes freely from the heart.

Some might ask, does this mean we should not spend any money on luxury or pleasure for ourselves? By no means! There are many examples in the Bible where he blessed people with worldly goods/riches. But do we really need thirty pairs of shoes or the tv with the biggest, brightest, smartest screen? We must remember what Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:7-10: “For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” We should not go about life longing for the best worldly goods, for once we die, it was all for nothing. We must think about where our focus in life is: on the money and the goods we can buy, or on God? For by having money at as the most important part, right in the center of our lives, making it in essence an idol, we can lead ourselves into all types of trouble, whether it is legal, personal, relational, or spiritual. Our focus instead should be on God, for “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20).” If our final destination is heaven, why should we be concerned so much with how much earthly wealth we possess? If instead we realize that we should live for our Father, and not for material gain, we will realize that we have a lot more money laying around then we realized that we could use to help others----it all really depends on perspective. Let us remember what Jesus himself said, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Luke 12:33-34).”