Attitude on Money

This week we read an interesting lecture delivered by Stephen W. Gibson titled, "Attitude on Money." In this article he makes the case that money is neither bad nor good. However, it does wield tremendous power.  Money provides the ability to accomplish great things for good or evil. Mr. Gibson says, "The possession of excess money often reveals or exposes what kind of a person the individual is." In essence, "money can make good men better...[and] bad men worse." When tempered through the stewardship principle of the gospel where everything belongs to the Lord and we are simply stewards who have been charged to make good use of and care for the possessions that have been entrusted to us, money can be a tremendous blessing in our lives and the lives of countless individuals.  However, when generating money becomes the sole focus and obsession of our lives, then lives of countless individuals are damaged including our own.  So in light of Mr. Gibson's attitude on money, what are my thoughts?

Well, I see money as a tool.  It is nothing more and nothing less. It is not to be valued for it's own inherent value, but it should be respected for what it can provide. It should be cared for responsibly and not wasted because it is a mechanism to help someone in need, and yes, that person in need may be ourselves and our families. It is important to acknowledge that needs are different than wants.  Many times money should be sacrificed from our wants to help meet a need (and sometimes even a want) for someone else. 

For example, there have been many times when I have been saving up money in a "fun account" for an item that I wanted and then been made aware of a situation where someone within my stewardship was struggling financially. Once many years ago, I was saving for a family vacation to San Diego.  I learned that a single woman who I was assigned to minister to was having difficulty making ends meet and certainly wouldn't be able to provide Christmas gifts for her children. Because I view money as a tool for good, I chose to forgo the vacation to San Diego and anonymously sent her the money that I had been saving instead.  It just so happened that after I sent her my savings, circumstances worked out so that I was able to take the vacation to San Diego with my family anyway, just in a different form from what I had originally planned.  I believe that the Lord is really the one in charge and that he can make money come from the most unlikely places when we are willing to do his work first with the money that we have been blessed with. 

My own life experiences and attitude about money follow along quite nicely with Mr. Gibson's rules to prosper.  Those rules are:

"Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him.

Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings.

Rule 3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant.

Rule 4. Take advantage of chances for learning so you will not be ignorant of these matters...

Rule 5. Learn the laws upon which blessings of wealth are predicated.

Rule 6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty, or the sick or those who are held captive."

I know that as I do the Lord's work with the money that I receive that the blessings I need in life will flow abundantly.  That doesn't necessarily mean that I will be rich, but I will have what I need. When I use my resources to care for those in need through tithing, fast offerings or my own private donation of funds, that is part of how I go about doing the Lord's work.  I also know that the Lord expects me to figure things out on my own.  Money will not just flow to me because I expect it and want it even if I am faithfully taking care of others around me.  I need to be smart and plan for the future.  I am getting an education right now to help me be able to earn my own wages, provide needed skills and increase my talents so that I can help others and be in a better position to help my family be more self-reliant. The money is not the end goal. It is what I do with the money that matters. If money is the tool that I use to accomplish my goals, will I wield it for good by building up the kingdom of God?  Or will I use it for destruction and the indulgence of self? I am working to discipline myself so that I can overwhelmingly look back at the end of my life and say, money was just a tool that I used for the glory of my God.