Each week throughout the month of November, I am hosting special guests, and these lovelies will discuss topics which correlate from chapters of When More is Not Enough. This week I’m psyched to introduce Stasia Skelton, author of Our Life on a Budget. Can you take a guess as to what Stasia might be writing about today? With an online home called Life on a Budget, it makes perfect sense for Stasia to talk about moo-lah and how-to give when money is tight.
Here’s Stasia.
My husband and I have been on some pretty tight shoestring budgets before (seminary, gap in jobs, one income, unexpected medical bills, you name it), and by nature, we are savers, not necessarily givers. However, in recent years, God has taught us about our giving. Here are a few of the lessons we have learned.
Give until it hurts even when it does not make sense
I don’t think that I could possibly say this any better than C.S. Lewis.
I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusement, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our giving does not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say it is too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our commitment to giving excludes them. ~C.S. Lewis
You will never make enough
There will always be someone with more. You may say, “As soon as we get a car, house, or a larger savings account” then we will give. In the past, my husband and I had the same attitude, but with this way of thinking, we never have enough to give.
Always tithe at least 10%
Always. God calls us to give to the local church, and we show our faithfulness when we do so. You may make barely enough to get by, but choose to always give and trust that God will provide your needs. It is an exercise of faith.
Give where you want your heart to go
Seriously, do you want a heart for orphans? Give there. Want a heart for the hungry? Give there. When we are invested financially we can’t help but turn our hearts too.
Keep a constant tie between your giving and your prayer life
Giving and prayer go hand and hand. Take the time to consistently pray for the places you give and are considering giving.
Trust
Be a good steward of your money. Remember that it is not just about the 10% you give to the church, it is what you do with the remaining 90%. Take care of your family, make wise choices, give sacrificially, and trust that God will provide.
Of course, while it is wise to have and keep a budget, but what I have learned is that it is crucial to open your budget to give sacrificially.
What about you? Do you have any strategies when it comes to giving on a budge?
About the Author
Stasia is a wife, mom, blogger at Our Life on a Budget, part-time preschool teacher, and local cloth diaper consultant.
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