What Is He Doing With His Money??
“One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”
Romans 14:2-4
My husband and I partner with a number of different ministries as monthly donors. A couple of years ago, one of the local ministries we donate to hosted an appreciation event for those who financially supported their non-profit. This event was held at one of the largest and nicest homes that I had ever been to. As we walked up to the house I was already judging the family who owned it.
Thoughts like, “I bet they are in mounds of debt in order to afford this house.” “How could anyone who follows Christ live in such a house?” “I could never purchase such a large house in good conscious!”
We continued through the evening, eating some wonderful appetizers and mingling with other donors. They had a fridge full of drinks and there was nice wine available as well. Where was all this good food and drink coming from?
A while into the evening and the party moved out to the enormous outdoor patio around a glorious gas-powered fire pit (more eye rolls from me). The sun had just set and as we gathered around the fire pit the president of the non-profit had us all go around the circle and share a bit about who we are, and what we did for a living.
When it was my turn to share, I very confidently proclaimed that I work as a faith-based money coach. I received many affirmations and I was feeling very prideful and a bit self-righteous for the clearly very important work I was doing.
One of the responses I received was from who I finally learned was the owner of the mansion we were sitting at. He proceeded to heap praises on me as well and then told me about how important good stewardship was to him and his wife. He then said something along the lines of,
“I have worked in the medical tech industry and have made a lot of money from creating much of the technology you see and use in your doctor’s office. It has been a very hard journey for my wife and me as we have learned to steward the abundant resources that God has blessed us with. For most of our lives, we have chosen to only purchase small homes. This still left us with a lot of money which we often donated. After a while, we realized that one of the greatest needs of the ministries we donated to was not simply more money, but space. Affordable, comfortable space. For gatherings such as this one tonight. So we prayerfully followed God’s guidance which led us to this home. We have made the decision to offer up the space free of charge for any kind of gathering that furthers the mission of the Kingdom of God. We could never have done this without being mindful of the fact that our money is not our own, but belongs to God. He often calls us to do things with our money that is uncomfortable. Buying this house was very uncomfortable for us, but hosting you all tonight is the very reason we have this place.”
I was shocked… And a bit ashamed of myself. I was so quick to jump to conclusions about this house because it was contrary to how I felt God was telling me to spend my money. Who am I to judge this family and how they were stewarding God’s resources? I had clearly learned a valuable lesson that night.
What God calls me to do with my money will be different from what He calls you to do with yours. Our situations, experiences, savings & income amounts, hearts, as well as our unique calling, are different from one another! That is why there is no one-size-fits-all in money management.
Whenever I take on a new coaching client, the area we focus on first is what it looks like to follow Christ in their personal finances. We explore what God has called them to and how that fits into their personal finance journey. I would be doing a disservice to my clients as well as the Body of Christ if I made each of them spend their money the way that I spend my money.
We had such a wonderful evening around the fire at that event. We discussed the challenges of being ambassadors for Christ in the workplace. We prayed over one another and shared encouragement to keep fighting the good fight. That evening would not have been the same if that couple had not followed God’s call to steward their money the way that they had. We may have been in some stuffy convention center which would not have provided the same atmosphere that we had that evening.
I know that God doesn’t call us each to buy a big expensive mansion. But what I do know is that what ever He calls us to will be for His glory.
Your Friend,
Katie Fiola Jones
Reflection Questions
Consider some of your recent interactions with other believers and their financial decisions and take stock of your heart’s motivations. Have you been condemning, angry, self-righteous, jealous, or covetous?
Do you have any personal examples of another Christian being called to spend their money in a way that was different from you? What were your initial thoughts? Did you ever stop to learn the full story behind their purchases?
We all need the body of Christ to help us see areas of weakness, sin, and failure – but all of these interactions should be saturated with love and grace. The next time you feel convicted to confront something in a fellow believer, how can you ensure that you speak the truth in love?
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