Spending Wealth

Dear Victorious,

Isn't it enough to tithe 10% of our income and simply enjoy the rest for ourselves? My husband and I have a very good income. Some would even say we're rich. But somehow when we spend money on our selves we feel guilty about it. We tithe faithfully, but it seems that we can get no peace with our finances. Isn't obedience enough for God?

Jenny Lynn - Topeka, KS

Dear Jenny,

Yes, obedience is enough for God. But it sounds as if you've defined obedience way too narrowly. Yes, obedience means giving God the tithe (i.e., the first 10% of our income). But at the same time, obedience requires that we be faithful in the other things God has asked of us. For starters, He told us to love our neighbor as we would want to be loved. If I had a lot of money and you had a genuine need - I'm reasonably certain you would want me to love you by meeting that need. So in that case, simply spending my money on myself may not fit within the definition of obedience.

If God has met your needs and you still have excess, you are not always free to just spend it on yourself or your family. You really must begin to see it all as God's money and ask Him what He wants you to do with that. It is not a sin to have and enjoy nice things. But it is a sin to do so at the exclusion of other purposes God may have had in giving you that wealth.

My guess is that the reason you have no peace with your finances is that the Holy Spirit is trying to convict you of something. You'll get no peace with your finances until they are in God's control.