Raising a Family
Having Enough Money
Having Enough Money
1. Keep in mind that the kingdom of God is more about relationships than about possessions or activities. As citizens of heaven, adopt the values of your true homeland. Instead of basing happiness on more and more money and the activities and possessions it can buy, learn to value inexpensive time with your loved ones as well as people who need you. See Live as Citizens of Heaven
2. Put your heads together and identify ways to save money, as well as make needed income. Serve others as a family team that works well together. Such occupation is often inexpensive and fills up your time. And it can be very satisfying. See Live Together in Harmony
3. As a family, keep one another from the love of money and the things it can buy. Start this process by being honest with each other (oldest family member goes first) and admitting how each of you prizes certain possessions too much. Then brainstorm as a family all the problems that the pursuit of more and more money could cause your family. Plan what you will do if your family encounters any of these problems. See Keep One Another from the Love of Money
4. Let God determine how wealthy or poor He wants your family to be at any particular time. Be content with your financial situation. When the apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” he was speaking partly of his financial situation (Philippians 4:12-13). There is nothing wrong with trying to improve your financial situation as long as you are not driven by greed or another sinful attitude. But in trying to make more money, retain your peace about your current situation. See Submit to God Together
5. Make sure that everyone in the family is loved and enjoys being with you all. Hanging out at home, if it is a happy place, sure beats spending money to find enjoyment. Hold family meetings to identify what will make home and being together more and more pleasurable. See Meet One Another’s Needs
6. Share fun times and possessions with one another in the family. Not everyone has to own the same fun things if they can be used in common. The family needs to decide when each family member is responsible enough to be trusted with a family possession or another family member’s property. This is another function of the family meeting. See Share with One Another
7. Compliment those in the family who use money wisely. Have them help those in the family who do not manage money well. Not many are really good at handling money. It requires certain information, values and self-control. A couple of family discussions about money can change the course of lives for years to come. See Commend One Another
8. Family members should admit to one another their unwise use of money and seek prayer for better values and greater self-control. Since money both is the root of many evils and can pierce us with many griefs, confess greed and other associated sins to avoid trouble. See Confess Sins to One Another
9. Teach one another biblical values regarding money, as well as how to avoid sins regarding money. Not every family member is wrongfully attracted to the same things, whether that be pursuing and loving money or being drawn to extravagant purchases. Think of how much money might be saved if family members taught each other thrift. See Teach One Another
10. When a family member is making an expensive purchase, encourage him or her first to seek the advice of other family members. Much money will be saved and better choices will be made. See Counsel One Another
11. Family members should occasionally exercise their talents to save others money. Especially for children, money is hard to come by. Some of the things they want to buy can easily be made by older siblings or parents. Smaller children can even draw pictures to hang on walls, saving money spent on posters. A loving family will bring people together for such mutual help. Read See That Each One Does His or Her Part
12. Help one another in the family resist manipulative advertisements. Millions of dollars are spent coercing people into buying more expensive brands of things they may not need at all. It can be great fun as a family pastime to ridicule television commercials or other advertisements. See Contend for the Faith Together
13. Families must warn any member who becomes enchanted by money and its benefits. Whenever moderation is not generally accepted, urge a change in values. Admonish family members to gauge their desires by the needs of others, including hungry children in foreign countries. See Warn and Admonish One Another
14. Since we were created to battle temptation together and are very vulnerable when facing life alone, families need to spot and challenge money-related temptations. Often one member wants to buy something, while the others wonder why anyone would spend hard-earned cash that way. Those tempted are often caught up in the present temptation and forget that they might really want that money for something else in the future. See Battle Temptation Together
15. Family members, especially parents, must frequently forego something they want in order to have money for another person’s greater need. This is often disappointing, but it is a way that family members can, like Jesus, lay down their lives for others. See Die for One Another
16. The family must try to rescue any member trapped by our materialistic culture and restore him or her to a more sane approach to money and possessions. This may fail. The captured family member will think there is nothing wrong with his or her obsessions, validated by the larger culture. Great patience is normally required. See Rescue and Restore One Another
17. Family members must keep the family and its members hopeful when finances are really tight. It is frightening, especially to parents, not to have enough money for basic needs. When that is so, the larger church should step in and provide. Not doing so shames God. Christians need to be on the watch for desperate families who lack the necessities. See Preserve One Another’s Hope
