Excuses We Make To Not Obey God With Our Money

Being a follower of Christ does not me we will automatically live a comfortable life where we always get everything we desire. In fact, sometimes it feels like the opposite. God demands a lot from us, because we are called to be set apart. He holds us to a higher standard. This includes how we manage our money. 

We are called to be generous (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). We are encouraged to plan and budget for future expenses (Luke 14:28). We are told to not hold debt except the debt to love one another (Romans 13:8). And in general, we are given examples of how followers of Christ put their own needs below the needs of others (Acts 2:45). 

But we often make excuses when it comes to obeying God with our money. When working with clients, or as I receive emails from the community, I hear some of the same excuses come up as to why someone can’t obey God’s demands for the money they have. Here are 4 of those reasons. Try to determine what excuses you have been telling yourself. 

Excuse 1 – I have given my 10% so I can do what I want with the rest. 

If you are giving this excuse that you can do whatever you please with the 90% you keep, then you have fallen for the lie that you are the owner of that money. Believing this lie is failing to recognize the truth that is found in verses like Psalm 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 29:12 which say that everything in the world belongs to God, including the wealth we hold onto. 

This is an easy excuse to give in order to not obey God’s design to put others first when it comes to making money decisions. We continue to fill out bank accounts and fund our retirements because we believe the world has taught us that we are entitled to live a certain way. But God holds us to a higher standard than that. We are to be transformed and not conform to the patterns of the world (Romans 12:2). 

Excuse 1 – God never follows through with his promise to bless me

Sadly, I have received many comments on blog posts, YouTube videos, and social media posts after posting about God’s faithfulness and blessings when we seek him first in our finances. Yes, it does sadden me to hear that someone feels they have been duped by God or forgotten by him. But what saddens me more is that those who give this excuse have a vending machine relationship with God. 

They believe, “if I tithe, then God will fill up my bank account,” or “If I am generous with my money then God will give me every desire I have ever had,” or even, “if I follow all these rules about money in the Bible then life will be comfortable for me.” 

The problem here is that they have taken all of the promises in the Bible and made each of them about who? Not Jesus, but themselves. They have read the promises such as the one in Malachi 3:10 about how when we tithe God will bless us and have used them as a formula to get God to respond the way they want. Just like a vending machine… “If I pay this, then I will get that.” 

Excuse 3 – Once I hit my financial goals then I will give generously 

If you follow any of the trends within the personal finance world, you have probably heard the mantra “Pay yourself first.” To pay yourself first basically means to put aside money for your financial goals such as retirement, emergency funds, and other savings before you pay anyone else. 

This is also similar to the financial steps that many well-known professionals teach… Fill up your emergency fund, pay off your debts, save for retirement, then live a generous life! Sounds nice, but what this excuse fails to do is put God first. We shouldn’t wait to be outrageously generous until we’ve stockpiled all that we think we need first. This is the exact mistake that the Rich Fool made in the parable that Jesus shares in Luke 12. 

The rich fool put his own goals above God and above the needs of those around him. Because of his choice, his very life was taken from him. Don’t wait to live generously or it could be too late. 

Excuse 4 – I will start giving once I have a decent amount to give

Similar to excuse 3, this excuse is putting off being generous until the stars align just right. I have worked with a number of clients who have struggled to get out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle and who have had a very difficult time giving up even a single dollar. But you and I both know that Jesus commends those who give when it hurts the most. 

Consider the story in Mark 12 of the widow who gives only 2 small coins at the temple while there are other very wealthy men who are giving large sums of money. Jesus says that the widow, not the wealthy men, gave more because she gave all that she had. 

Being sacrificial is one of the fundamentals of giving and generosity that we are taught throughout the Bible. So don’t wait until you feel like you have enough money to start giving. Begin where you are. Trust God as you put the needs of others above your own. 

Your Friend, 
Katie