I once met a business executive who earned nearly $200,000 a year and was constantly under financial stress. The irony of the story is that he had an undergraduate degree in accounting, a Masters in business administration, and worked as the Chief Financial Officer for a large company. He was an outstanding professional at managing other people’s money, but not his own. Now hear me, he was not a bad person. In fact, he was a sincere Christian, but he lacked discipline to manage his own finances and thus spent more than he earned. No matter how much his income increased, he spent more.
Charles Dickens made this famous quote about money: "Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen [pounds] nineteen [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery." Translated it means that if you spend a little below your income you are happy and slightly more than your income you are miserable.
One meaning of discipline is “training to act in accordance with rules”. It means you follow a structured program. Proverbs says it like this:
Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs 13:18
Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.
Make up your mind to get discipline in your finances, follow a program, get out of the misery and bondage that has kept you trapped. Start today with a small step by changing your mind. Begin to believe that you can change and ask God to teach you how to act in accordance with the rules. That means to spend less than you earn and stay on plan. By heeding this advice, you will reap untold joy and rewards.
