Editor's Note: This article first appeared at YoungWifesGuide.com. Thanks Jami for letting us republish this here!
As women we have the responsibility of brining glory to God within our homes. Often this is carried out in how we manageand set the atmosphere in our home. But the way we handle finances and resources can bring glory to God as well.
It can be so easy in marriage to fight over finances. Usually one spouse is a saver and one spouse is a spender. One does well with money and one can’t seem to keep any in the bank. This can be a quick recipe for financial and marital disaster! But with all things in marriage, the goal is to bring glory to God. How can we do that when it comes to finances?
1) Be on the same page
Be gracious and willing to budge on things you want. Be open to discussion and willing to work things out. Don’t leave things about finances undone or not talked about. GET on the same page as your husband. It does not bring glory and honor to God when we are not on the same page with our husbands.
2) Be Submissive if Necessary
In the same way, we are to be submissive to our husbands. If you and your husband disagree on something, then you need to lovingly submit to him. Feel like he is wasting your family’s resources? Pray that God would give him wisdom and know that at the end of the day, God calls you to submit to your husband, not take control of your finances.
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” ~ Ephesians 5:22
3) Be a Good Steward of Your Family’s Money
We need to remember that everything we have in this life was given to us by God as a blessing. We are temporarily using it but ultimately it all belongs to the Lord!
“ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.” ~ 1 Chronicles 29:11-12
Our hope in this world is not set on riches but rather on the Most High God!
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” ~ 1 Timothy 6:17
4) Help Out if You Can
The excellent wife described in Scripture is an industrious, hard working wife! She looks over her household. She is a strong homemaker and brings in some income for her family as well as uses their resources wisely.
“She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard…She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night…She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.” ~ Proverbs 31: 16-24
The excellent wife is always hard at work, never lazy, and is business savvy. She knows how to take care of her household and make a little extra money on the side. While not every wife needs to help out {or has the ability to do so}, it’s not a bad thing if you can work with your hands and make a little extra. As long as your family is not suffering because of it!
5) Make Wise Choices & Serve the Lord, Not Money
The bottom line comes down to making wise choices. The wise choice is to save and not spend. The wise choice is to plan ahead and make sure your family will have food on the table. The wise choice is to not blow the family grocery budget on new clothes. And the ultimate wise choice is to make sure you don’t make money an idol in your heart…it’s easy to do!
“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.” ~ 1 Timothy 6:9-10
Money can have a powerful effect over our minds and our hearts. Don’t give in to that love and let your heart be led away. Be wise with where your treasure is, because that is where your heart will be also.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ~ Matthew 6:19-21
God is glorified when you make wise choices informed by scripture and made together with your husband when it comes to your family’s finances. Keep an open dialogue with your husband and seek wise council from those who know you well.
