MONEY AND MATERIALISM, PERSPECTIVES TO BE CHANGED | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2021

Intro: What should the Christian attitude towards money be? How can we create a culture of sharing? What are the transactions and deals we should be careful of? Find answers to all these questions in this article.

In this modern world where people are busy building their castles of glass, amassing money and materialistic pleasures, our perspective towards money is very important. Although a certain amount of money is needed to live and people cannot be happy without it that is not the only thing our lives rely upon. We need money to live, but we must never live for money. Life and its various phases have taught me this lesson. Those who fear God and those who are protected in the hands of God must have a good knowledge about how to manage money. 1 Timothy 6: 10 says, the love of money is the root of all evil.  The desire to amass money paves the way for many sins. The desire to lead an extravagant materialistic life will coerce a man to find means to amass money which in turn will force him to turn to sources that lead to sin. 

To be detached when we use money is the best strategy that we can adopt. ‘Money is important, but it is not for money that we live,’ is a perspective that we have to embrace to lead a successful life. Matthew 6:24 says, No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. Here mammon is a reference to materialistic pleasures, including money. Those who live a life according to the will of God, like the saints are capable of sacrificing all materialistic pleasures of the world as they are not allured by it. My experience has shown me various wealthy people, who renounced everything they had to lead a life of simplicity. The minimalistic way of life lead by some of the religious has influenced my perspective on money. Instead of adding extravagances to life they renounce everything and concentrate on leading a simple life. Cars, clothes, and big houses allure everyone. But having a minimalistic approach towards them is an essential lesson that we have to learn. The reasons for most of the sins we see around us like liquor and drugs, corruption, gambling, etc. springs from the desire to amass money and to lead a materialistic life. We have to learn how to develop a detached and balanced approach to money. This can bring miraculous changes in your life. Compared to people obsessed with money and an extravagant life with all its frustrations, people who live a simple and minimalistic life lead a happy and peaceful life.

The Culture of Sharing Wealth

There are different types of people we see around us. People who spend all that they earn, people who keep a part of their income for the poor and destitute, those who are self-centered and never lend a helping hand to the poor. And then there are people who help the poor even when they cannot afford to. In Malachi 3:10, God says, Bring the tithes in full to the treasury, so that there is food in my house; put me to the test now like this, says Yahweh Sabaoth, and see if I do not open the floodgates of heaven for you and pour out an abundant blessing for you. The sources of money that you receive will be different but God is the owner of it all. He is the ultimate source. We are always answerable to God for everything that we value. Many good people around us help others in different ways, helping the poor and desolate, people with immediate urgencies, through groups from church and other congregations. Whatever the medium we have to keep a part of our income for the poor. We are just the custodians of the money that God has provided us with. We are answerable to God if our neighbor is going through difficult days. When we help them we are stepping into the shoes of the Good Samaritan. We can live a happy and peaceful life if we have the satisfaction of having done something worthy in our life. Youth ministries always try to keep their activities God-oriented by caring for each other. It is not sympathy we need to give to those with outstretched hands. We need to step into their shoes to know how it feels. Their welfare is a matter of our concern as we are answerable to God. We have to share what we have – like the widow’s mite from the Bible. We have to build a culture of sharing wealth so future generations can also imbibe it. 

Cash Transactions and Deals

Another important area is that of cash transactions and deals like money lending, etc. which have to be done with utmost care, especially by people who are close to God. Such transactions can lead to ruptures in relationships. Many friendships have suffered because of issues springing up from money-related problems. Borrowing money, especially from friends or family should be resorted to only if we are certain that we will be able to repay it and at the right time. If we are unable to do so, informing and communicating with them is very important. 

Many years ago, a friend of mine lent some money to another person who was struggling financially and needed money. This person was so badly off that it was doubtful if he would be able to return it. Fifteen years later, when we were travelling together, we happened to meet this person, who returned the money he had borrowed all those years ago. This was a very responsible attitude from his side. 

We also come across people who won’t attend phone calls and ignore those who had helped them before. This is not a good practice. This happens because of money management issues and an inability to handle expenses. There are those who fall into debt traps because of unwise expenses and unwarranted materialism. Such people need to budget their income by reducing expenses, avoiding unnecessary buying and restricting to one’s needs. 

Recently, a person I know well fell into hard times because of the Covid situation. Some of us collected money and we went and gave it to him. A week later, this person called me and said that he had been going through some very difficult times and it was then that he received the money from us – providentially. He was very thankful and said that he would always remember us in prayer. We have to develop a habit of being grateful to those who help us. We have to return money borrowed when we are able to and we need to help others when we have sufficient enough, remembering those who’ve helped us in our time of need. 

Money in my Personal Life. (This needs to be a separate boxed item. ‘Though part of this article, it should not appear so’ – instruction from Chackochan Sir.)

God has truly been merciful to us and provided for us when we went through financial crises. The greatest realisation I have had is that lack of money cannot destroy you. Never worry if you don't have money. Instead what you need to do is trust in God. Worry and tension cannot extend the length of our lives. So for a person who trusts in God, money is not a problem. The awareness that you are the son or daughter of a Father who is the owner of this entire world is a revelation that can help you to move ahead. So the purpose of my life was never to amass money. My experiences shaped my perspective on money. 

I come from a lower-middle-class family and I have faced many difficult situations in life. My mother who was good at managing money was always a role model for me. The little money she earned and with which she managed necessities, even keeping aside a portion as savings from that scant money always encouraged me to follow her example. I still remember standing among the ashes of our shanty house that burnt down in an accident. But God intervened to restore what was lost. He came to us in the form of all those who helped us. We experienced God’s providence in astounding ways. During that time I was ashamed of my life but later I realised how it shaped my perspectives. I even remember the time when I joined for B.Ed. with absolutely no money. It was the money that I borrowed from different people that helped me to grow to who I am. 

God always brought surprises into our lives and one such surprise was when we shifted to a new place with more land during an extremely unexpected time. When I look back, I see it as God’s great providence. Had I been alone I wouldn’t have made it. But God always stood by me. I have spent a significant portion of my money on ministries and their activities. I faced many situations without even a penny in hand like my sister's marriage and her delivery. But God made sure to provide me in plenty. Even now, there are financial problems but I’ve never felt at a dead-end because I know that God will provide at the right time.

I have been blessed to be able to help people in need, people with the financial crises, marriages of poor girls, for treatment of the sick, etc. I was able to do this only because I went through those situations and discovered God’s providence through friends, family, and others. The need to support others and its importance is a happy realisation. The miracles that have happened in my life are remarkable. I still believe that there are many more miracles yet to happen. For those who believe in him, he has wonderful plans. God will always make a way for those who trust in him. When we come to this realisation we will use all the riches we have to help others. Never say that God doesn't know my poverty because he knows what you need. All the sufferings that we experience are God’s way of perfecting us. It is a part of his great plan. Praise the Lord!

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Money Management Tips (This is a related article that is to be placed as a boxed item after Money & Materialism)

The following are a few tips which may help reduce cost and manage finance at home:

• Cooking food only according to the quantity and specific requirements of the family members ensures no food is wasted. 

• An important thing while managing finance is handling our ego. The number of children is most families are very few yet there will be a large collection of rarely used clothes. Spread the word at least among your close relatives and friends that you are open to accepting used clothes and you will be surprised at large packages reaching you. Some countries also have pre-owned clothes stores.

• If your family is planning to eat outside at a restaurant, it will be a good idea to order fewer dishes than the number of people. There is nothing wrong in sharing food and we need not be concerned about what others think. Only remember that it will not be the others who will be paying the bill. Never be embarrassed at the idea of parcelling the extra food.

• Remembering to pay the bills, fees, etc. on time is a good way to reduce expenses in the form of fines.

• Batch shopping – prepare a list before you set out for shopping, even in the case of essentials, which will help in avoiding multiple visits to the shop.

• All resources, including money, water, and electricity are scarce, which should be shared with all God’s children. Nobody has the right to be lavish with it or waste it.

• Never purchase anything on an impulse; always look for cheaper but equally effective alternatives.

• How much money do you spend in a week, month or year? Do you have a clear idea regarding that? Tracking your expenses is the best way to control it. There are many money management apps available now that can help.

  
  

Things to ponder about

• School reopening is usually a tough time for a family with several kids. But why don’t some people anticipate and plan for it?

• Medical expenses upset the family budget severely. But why don’t people consider insurance to overcome that?

• Why are some people permanently in financial trouble? Some people repeatedly get into business, despite a lack of acumen.

• A spouse who is least bothered about the family’s financial struggle and goes on spending!

• Some people never understand the concept of ‘no free lunch’; no business can exist or grow by constantly selling below cost.

• There is no alternative to working hard and in today’s world the best form of job security is by continuously upgrading skills.

• Luke 14:28 – Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?

Attitudes towards money

• How can we develop the right attitude towards money? Mathew 6:24 – You cannot serve both God and money.

• 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is the root cause of all kinds of evil

• Is it possible to avoid comparing with others regarding possessions? One should be basically looking at one’s need and not at others.

• In countries like India, the government supports people in the form of subsidies, ration, etc. Some people, though they struggle, feel bad to utilise these facilities for fear of damaging their dignity. Making use of government-funded schools, government hospitals which provide practically free services is a good way to keep our expenses under control.

• Some people are clueless about how much money they should make or need in life but continue to slog even under harsh situations. These people need to realise the meaninglessness of that.

• Some people are too focused on amassing wealth for too many generations (Luke 12:16-21) but later it turns out that the same wealth spoils the children. 

• Technology is always changing and some people are always obsessed with acquiring the latest gadgets available in the market. 

• Do we really need it? Is it essential? In its absence, what could be the consequences? These are some questions to ask ourselves before spending money.

• Car-pooling is an excellent idea. There are situations where such arrangements fail when mutual respect and consideration about others is lost. Ego is a great money spender, handle it properly.

• Everybody should be able to have a comfortable life, but where is the limit for comfort? Is it possible to draw a line between comfort and luxury and a life pleasing to God?

• Public transport is always cheaper compared to private transport. Is it our convenience, cost or ego which determines our selection of the mode of transport and the type of vehicle we purchase?

• One question we need to ask ourselves constantly is whether money is our master or servant.