Few things are more exhausting than being under perpetual financial stress. I can remember the first time I heard someone say, “I’m so broke I can’t even pay attention”. At that point in my life, I actually could relate to how that felt and it wasn’t funny…it was true!
More than 25 million middle-class American families live paycheck to paycheck, according to a study from the Brookings Institution.
If you live paycheck to paycheck, and you often find yourself falling short on cash or unable to pay bills on time, you may wonder how it can ever be any different for you.
Here’s my advice:
- Making giving your highest financial priority. Now I know, that is not what you expected to hear! But it is likely that one of the reasons that you are struggling with your finances is that your priorities have never been established to match God’s priorities with money.
- Increase your income and decrease your expenses to enable you to give cheerfully.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand that sounds impossible when there are bills to pay, rent is due, you have to put food on the table and gas in the car; but hear me out. That will never change, whether you are giving or not giving. We all have to make ends meet. But let me ask you this, would you rather keep ALL the money you have and continue trying to do this alone or honor God with the first of all your income and invite Him to help you?
You see, we are all honoring somebody or someone with our income. If we honor God first, we invite Him to help us change the way we think about and use money. This is not the prosperity gospel, but an invitation to put God to the test and prove His faithfulness to those who honor Him. And if you take this challenge, let me know how it turns out.
