Most people I know have an innate sense for helping others. We may argue over how much we should help each other or even what the the best way is to help others.

We may discuss the government’s role in helping others versus our local church. But, we often dismiss how our economy is set up to allow us to help others in almost everything we do.

The Three Easy Ways to Support Others

Charity - giving with nothing expected in return.
Buy a Good – buying something with high value for a low fee.
Sell a Good – selling something with a low cost at a high price.

How These Three Support Others

Charity

The first thing that comes to mind when supporting each other is charity. I define charity as any time I give something to someone else and expect nothing in return.  For example, you may want to give to the homeless through a local shelter, or you may want to donate to help Haiti earthquake victims. 

Even the great capitalist Andrew Carnegie supported charity, but he understood the importance of giving wisely.

“Those who would administer wisely must, indeed, be wise, for one of the serious obstacles to the improvement of our race is indiscriminate charity” – Andrew Carnegie

When giving money away you are investing in others and your community. Although you receive nothing directly in return, the act of charity may help someone survive another day or get past a road block that is keeping them from living out their God given potential.

Buy a Good

A less understood way of actually giving is buying a good. Every time you buy something from someone you are helping them out. They used their creative talents and abilities to manufacture a product or service for you at some cost and by paying them you are giving them in opportunity to buy something with more value in their eyes in exchange. You still have to be wise when buying something, though. If you buy something that you really don’t want then you are essentially giving away money as charity and should evaluate the decision from the perspective of a charity gift instead of a purchase.

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Sell a Good

The flip side of buying a good is selling one. Just as a buyer helps a seller, the seller is also helping the buyer. When you work hard and create a good that has value to others you are supporting them by giving them an object of great value at a cost that is cheap to them. This is why they buy it. Again, though, you must be wise and only sell things that can be made at a cost lower than the selling price otherwise this is also a charity.

What This Means for You

Remember the joy you get every time you give to someone in need. Now that you know buying and selling also help others you can be happy every you reward a hard worker when making a purchase or provide value to someone when selling a good. Of course, never stop giving. Your investments to those in need will pay off now and forever, but be happy every time you make a wise buy or sell.

Verses to Consider

• Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 1 Timothy 6:18
• All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23

This has been a guest post by Ryan.  He is the creator of ObsessedAnalytic.com, a blog for young adults helping them Find Time, Save Money, and Have Fun

Lately I’ve been reflecting on giving and our heart motivation behind it. 

I’ve had the great opportunity to teach a money class the last couple weeks to a Young Marrieds group at church and It’s been a great experienc for me, because I’ve had to spend some time digging in to Scripture to get me prepared to talk about money and theology.

In general, most people know we should give, but what is our motivation behind our giving – in other words, why give?

Here’s a look at a few reasons to the question of:

Why Do People Give Their Money?

We’ll talke a look at a few not-so-good reasons and then a couple really good reasons.

To Earn God’s Favor

One group might settle in on this side of the room.  These folks think that by giving money to the church or giving money to a homeless person that somehow God will smile on them and be pleased. 

On the flip side, they may also think that if they don’t give, then God will be mad at them!  So, to appease a cranky and crotchety old god they need to just give!

To Get a Blessing

They give because they want to get an abundance.  This seems to be prevalent.  I recently received a direct message on Twitter from someone talking about God’s abundance being poured out on me!

I think there is some confusion in this camp and hopefully I can clear it up:

We don’t give to GET a blessing – we give to BE a blessing!

To Get Rid of Guilt

Others give because they want to rid themselves of guilt.  Maybe they feel guilty for being “blessed” while others suffer in need; or they feel guilty because they think that in order to be a “good person” they need to give.  The thought of not being a “good person” kills them.

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To Garner the Praise of Men

Some of us like to give because we want others to know and think that we are very generous!  Remember the pharisees in the New Testament that would throw their coins in to the offering to make a loud clang so everyone could hear?  That’s some of us.  We give to get noticed or to “be somebody”.

To Get a Good Feeling

There is a good feeling we all get when we give.  We feel like we were part of something bigger or that we made a difference in someone’s life when we give. 

Those are great feelings!  I love feeling that way after I give, but is it our sole motivation in giving?  Is it just to make us feel good?

To Get a Tax Deduction

As a finance guy, I love tax deductions!  Who doesn’t – am I right?  But, there are plenty of folks out there who only give because they can write it off on their taxes. 

Are you one of the one scrambling on December 31st to find a charity and donate money so you can write that off?

To Glean Meaning or Purpose from Life

Oh, meaning and purpose – everyone’s quest in life.  Some say there is none – other’s know exactly why we are here.  Those trying to find meaning and purpose, trying to be a part of something beyond themselves may give just to feel like they are accomplishing a mission.

Again, nothing wrong with finding meaning – but are we grasping at finding purpose through our giving or do we find our purpose in Christ himself?

What Should Our Motivation Be?

Notice that each of those motivations above are self-focused – We get something in return.  It really becomes all about us! 

So why should we give?

Because We Want to Help

I think many of us have a really sincere desire to help people.  That’s great!  We should desire to come alongside others, meet needs and to defend social justice because we value others and truly want to help them!

For some reason, it seems like in America we’ve lost a sense of “being a neighbor” to others.  On the block I grew up on there was always someone watching out for us, conversations between neighbors going on and a willingness to go and help each other.

I think we need (myself included) to get back to being a good neighbor.

Because Jesus Demonstrated It Best

Take a look at 2 Corinthians 8:9:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Jesus had everything in heaven – He was rich.  Yet He gave all that up to come to a lowly stable, to be the son of a poor Jewish couple – why?  So that we who embrace Him as Savior might become rich (all the glorious riches and benefits of spending eternity with God in heaven!)

He did it for you!  He gave up everything, to the point of a scandalous and shamed death on a Roman cross so we might have life!

even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Matthew 20:28

Let’s reorient ourselves back to the great Gospel and realize that because Christ gave up everything for us we are freed to go and serve others for His sake!

Confession time!

I’m not as generous as I should or could be!

Here’s another thing: I like to receive more than I like to give.

Why?  Well, because it’s inherent and I’m selfish.

I know what you’re thinking -

“Wait a minute – but you write about generosity and giving and doing good things with your money”

That’s true.  And I believe strongly in everything I write.

But, there’s a disconnect.  Part of me loves to hold on to my stuff, hoard it and use it for me.

It’s like I’m addicted to my own selfish desires.

I don’t want to be selfish, but I find myself slipping into selfish mode so easily.

How?  Well, it shows in various ways including marriage, other relationships, my money, my time etc.  And if we were all brutally honest – we’d probably come to the same conclusion. 

I always tell people that I never realized how selfish I was until I got married and had to start putting my wife’s needs above my own.  After that I never realized how much selfishness there still was in my heart until I had kids and I had to put their needs above my own.

In terms of money, I like to hold on to my money for comfort and security.  I like to put my trust in my savings accounts rather than God himself.  I like to view the money I have as mine rather than God’s.  I don’t like to think of myself as a steward, I like to think of myself as owner.

But here’s the thing – I want to be totally unselfish, completely generous and not care an ounce about my status or my wealth, but it’s hard not to – especially in this culture.

But – as one of my favorite songs says:

To give unselfishly, to love the least of these
Jesus I’m learning how to live with open hands
All of these treasures that I hold will never satisfy my soul
Jesus I lay it at your throne with open hands

How to overcome your self

So how do we overcome our selfish desires for money, fame, status, power or even the praise of men?

Well the first thing we need to realize is the fact that we are selfish and come to terms with that fact.

The second thing we need to realize is that it’s a process and there is a big learning curve.  It takes time. 

The third thing is to recognize how GREAT our heavenly treasure and that our earthly treasures pale in comparison. 

The treasure of Christ far outweighs our earthly goods.  But so often we have blinders on.  Ask God to help you see the greatness of Christ displayed in the gospel.

I’m learning, baby-step by baby-step – but the process is a good one.

Agree or disagree?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether this is a struggle for you or if you think I’m off my rocker!

Another week “in the books”.  I can’t believe it’s almost February already. 

This was a fun week on R2 – if you didn’t check out my mom’s guest post on marriage you should!

Anyways, This Week in Personal Finance takes a look at interesting articles, posts and news from the past week in the personal finance arena.  Give these articles a click!

Rich Christian Poor Christian gives some insights into the 7 Investments he tackles on his blog.

Craig Ford – a missionary to Papau New Guinea and writer for Money Help for Christians sits down with the poor of PNG and asks them some very direct questions about the differences and perceptions among the rich and poor.  This was an awesome post and worth checking out for some valuable insights into their responses.

Do you like getting a big tax refund?  Bible Money Matters tells us why getting a big tax refund is a horrible idea!

Interesting thoughts from Free Money Finance on how different age groups view their careers.

It’s stinkin’ cold in the Chicago area right now and it’s tempting to blast the heat, but we don’t want the big bill that comes with it – so grab your Snuggie cuz Matt Jabs at Debt Free Adventure looks at a few ways to save money on heat and electricity this winter.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Today’s the big day! We are finally closing on our new house.

We started the building process back in August of ‘09, moved into the inlaws basement and recently have been frantically trying to get a bunch of little things done so we can keep our closing date.

We locked in our rate back in November with a 45-day lock and today’s the last day!

But the house is ready, we’re ready and we’re so excited to get back to our normal routine!

Enough about us – let’s talk about some of the interesting discussions going on in the Personal Finance world this week!

This Week in Personal Finance takes a look at interesting articles, posts and news from the past week in the personal finance arena.  Give these articles a click!

• Joe Taxpayer is confused why so many Christians seem to look at all debt with such disdain and asks an interesting question, “Is Debt Anti-God?”
• Free Money Finance is a very popular and simple blog  that offers some very thought-provoking posts.  I like that.  This week he says that Those Who Give More Become Rich Faster.  I don’t think that should be our motivation to give, but he does offer a good look at the relationship between wealth and giving.
• Paul over at Fiscal Geek asks a questions we’ve all asked at some point in our lives, “Should You Save For Retirement While in Debt?”
• Kevin at Out of Your Rut asks another popular question, “Will A Million Dollars Be Enough to Retire On?”
• Free From Broke delves into the dark world of credit card reform to find some answers on how the CARD Act affects us.

R2 On The Web

My post about the 4 Questions You Should Ask Before You Buy Life Insurance was included in:

• Cavalcade of Risk from the Colorado Health Insurance Insider
• Canadian Finance Blog’s Friday Links

Maybe you’ve asked this question before:

“Should I give money even though I am in debt”

- or maybe phrased this way -

“Should I give money even though I don’t have much to give?”

Usually this question can be turned into an objection for giving – such as, “I just don’t have any money to give right now, I’ll start giving once I have a little more.”

This weekend we take a look at whether this is Biblical to wait to give money or not.  Our text will be from 2 Corinthians 8 – a famous passage on giving and a challenging one as well.

2 Corinthians 8:1-4:

We want you to know, brothers,  about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—

I highlighted a couple of key points in this text.  Here’s what we notice:

1. They didn’t let troubles dissuade them from giving (v.2)
2. They gave joyfully (v.2)
3. They were extremely poor (v.2)
4. They gave according to their means and beyond (v.3)

Here’s the ESV Study Bible notes for reflection:

God’s grace was manifested in that the Macedonians gave even though they were poor. What surprised Paul was that the Macedonians also gave themselves first to the Lord (a recommitment of their lives) and then . . . to us; they offered not only money but also any other personal help they could give to Paul.

But I don’t have money to give 

As evidenced by the believers in Macedonia, they gave even though they were extremely poor!  Not just a little poor, not just a little tight each month, but they were in extreme poverty – and yet – they gave abundantly with great joy!

It’s hard to read that and then continue our excuses of why we don’t give enough.

I already give enough

For those who are thinking, “I already give plenty”, this passage is an indicting one as well.

Notice the phrase wealth of generosity in the passage above?  That doesn’t mean they gave enough to satisfy some legal requirement or enough to satiate their own consciences.

They gave abundantly, much more than they probably could have or should have – but they didn’t care about the money!

Why should we give even when we don’t have it

So this weekend, as we sit back and relax and look at all the gifts we gave and received for Christmas take some time to reflect on why we should be generous with our wealth to those in need. 

Here’s three reasons why we should be generous even when we don’t have it:

1. We have more than we think

Be honest, we have way more than we think we have.  Even when we think we have nothing, we have plenty to give.   Our problem is we compare ourselves upward to the next standard of living up rather than down to the next standard of living. 

2. We need to rearrange our priorities to place more emphasis on giving rather than getting

Often times why we don’t give is simply a matter of misplaced priorities.  We view getting ahead, saving and accumulating stuff as more important than giving to those in need.

3. Your greatest return on investment will be giving to the Lord

 If I told you that if you gave me $100 I’d give you back $10,000 would you make that investment? 

Of course you would and yet we have an offer infinitely better than that.  God promises to reward us eternally for the way we give and use our money.

How about you? Do you think we should give money if we don’t have it?

Have you ever played the “Would You Rather…” game?  It pits two opposing choices against each other and people go around and decide which one they’d rather have and why.

It’s a good ice-breaker and a fun game to hear people’s insights.

That’s exactly what I’d like to do this weekend – play the “Would You Rather” game and hear your points of view.

At first glance this looks like an easy question – I mean who really wants to be extremely poor!? 

In order to play the game effectively you have to think about the implications of both:

If you’d rather be filthy rich, do you think that would lead to pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency and perhaps even an indifference toward God?

Or would it lead to doing more good and giving to the poor.

If you chose extreme poverty do you think that would lead you down the road of anxiousness, hating God for your situation or even stealing to meet your needs?

What Scripture Says

Here’s a couple of interesting verses to consider as we wrestle with this question: 

Proverbs 30:8-9:

…give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,  lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Luke 11:2-4:

And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,  for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And lead us not into temptation.”

So, it seems like Scripture would have us go with a balanced view here.  Neither poverty nor riches, just enough to get by each day.

What I Would Choose

I’d try to go with the balanced view of Scripture found in Proverbs, but if I had to pick one – the pious side of me could justify both. 

On the one hand, if I was rich think of all the good I could do and poverty I could help eliminate.

On the flip side, think of how big my faith would be because I’d have to trust in God for every meal and after all - God has a heart for the poor and marginalized.

But would I really do that much good or would I really have a deep faith in God’s provision and sovereignty?

What About You – Which Would You Choose?

Now it’s your turn!  I purposely didn’t give a full answer of what I’d choose because I’d like to hear your insights into this question.

So, which is it – Would You Rather Be Filthy Rich or Extremely Poor – and why?

If you were really honest with yourself right now, wouldn’t you admit that oftentimes it’s hard to share!? 

C’mon, it’s not easy to give things to others without strings attached or to let people borrow items without being worried about getting it back in one piece or getting it back period.

You know why I know it’s hard for you to share?  Because I look at my two and a half year old daughter and see how she has such a hard time letting her little brother play with anything she has (or even touch things she’s not even playing with at the time).

It’s All Mine!

In our hearts, we all still have that two year old mentality that everything is all “MINE!”

We’re all born selfish to the core and it doesn’t go away the older we get.  We just get better at masking our selfishness!

I write these words for myself as much as anyone, because I know I am desperately selfish – but I don’t want to be. 

I want to live with open hands and loose grips on everything – I want to lay down my life for others and not care, but it’s hard.  How about you?

With the holiday season in mind, this weekend I want to share a verse from 1 Timothy 6 that talks about our readiness to share with others.  I hope it’s as challening to you as it is to me.

1 Timothy 6:17-19:

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Notice what the Apostle Paul says to Timothy about the rich – they are to do good, be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share!

But I’m not rich!

Now, whether you feel rich or not is besides the point.  If you live in America – you are rich!  Compare yourself to the rest of the world and not your neighbor and you’ll begin to understand how much you really have.

The point here is to be ready to share and be generous.  We are not naturally inclined to share with others so it takes work to get ourselves ready.

How to ready yourself to share

• Remember that God shared His Son with us and Jesus shared His life for us!
• Repent of your selfishness
• Ask God to help you overcome your selfishness
• Make giving a priority in your financial plans
• Keep giving top of mind so you’re always thinking about it
• Pray for and seek opportunities to give in the community
• Become more attuned to others needs by listening more
• Pay down your debts so you free up money to give
• Cut out some of the busyness of your life so you can give of your time
• Work hard so you can be ready to share with those in need (Eph.4:28)
• Be content with what you have!
• Remember that sharing pleases God (Heb. 13:16)
• Stop killing your generosity!

What about you?  What are some ways you’ve readied yourself to share or what other things would you add to this list?

I’m wondering how many people really know why they call it Black Friday!?

If you’re one of those that are unsure, but too afraid to ask – the reason is this:

Retailers hope this is the day people spend like crazy so they can go from being in the red to being in the black!  Hence – Black Friday!

Here are the best of the best this Thanksgiving week on the Black Friday edition of the Round Up!

5 Things You Shouldn’t Buy This Black Friday - Wise Bread

This is a great post by Adam Baker from ManvsDebt!  Just some real practical advice to keep your spending in check this holiday season. 

Setting Values Oriented Goals - Bible Money Matters

Jason Price from OneMoneyDesign tackles this great topic!  This post is a great reminder to not just set financial goals or monetary goals, but to make sure those goals are values driven and by doing so you increase your odds of achieving them!

9 Ways to Give Even When Times are Tough – Get Rich Slowly

Brian from My Next Buck gives some good ideas on giving and having a heart of compassion even though we’re in a tough economic climate.   Lot of good ideas here.

Guest Post

I had the privilege to guest post over at Frugal Dad this week.  Check out my post called “5 Four-Letter Words You Should Be Using in Personal Finance“. 

This post won’t teach you any new vocabulary words to use when your accounts are down, but it will challenge you with some simple guidelines to help in your everday personal finances! 

In case you missed ‘em

In case you missed posts from this week, check these out:

5 Reasons Some People Never Get Ahead Financially (And Others Do)

3 Simple Rules to Curb Your Credit Card Use

What is True Wealth

Each weekend I like to provide for of a devotional style post that includes a few verses on money and occassionally the study notes to help with further reflection.

These past two weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about true wealthand what exactly that means.   I deal w ith money and people’s attitudes with money on a daily basis and also blog about money almost daily as well.

Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of a larger view of money and be consumed in the day-to-day decisions and workings of our personal finance.

But what exactly is true wealth and how do we keep a good perspective on our finances so we don’t become obsessed with our money?

There’s an interesting little passage in Luke 16:1-12 that talks about “unrighteous wealth” and “true riches“, which at first read can be confusing, but after listening to a sermon on this passage and reading through it a few times I am starting to see what Jesus is talking about.

The verses that I’ll focus on are 9-12 (emphasis is mine):

9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

 10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 

 What strikes me in this passage is verse 9!  We are to make friends by means of unrighteous wealth.  What Jesus is saying here is to use our money as a way to impact others lives!

Believers who use their wealth and possessions generously in this way give evidence of their faith and commitment to God and of their understanding that God will give eternal rewards to those who are generous in their use of the resources he has entrusted to them – ESV Study Bible notes

In other words be generous with your wealth, seek to give it away, help others with their needs and God will give eternals rewards! 

There’s a lot more in this passage than I can cover in the scope of one post, but I encourage you to study it on your own.

See, what I’ve known for a long time, but just realizing more deeply as of late is that this present world’s riches are a tool in which we use for kingdom purposes – all the time! 

And when we’re bogged down in debt, using money to keep up with our neighbors, stingy, greedy and the like and we don’t use our money for the kingdom, we are forgoing the greatest blessings, which are the eternal rewards God has promised.

When we do that we are forgoing true wealth!

What is the purpose of your money?  Have you been faithful with the “unrighteous wealth” God has given you so that He can entrust to you true riches!?