The Key of Financial Peace

The final lesson, "The Great Misunderstanding" is my favorite lesson that Dave teaches.  All of the previous lessons taught us how to get out of debt, how to budget (spend) and to invest (save).   Financial Peace is more than just God's system for understanding money, becoming debt-free, and building wealth.  You can do everything Dave Ramsey teaches as you will prosper, but if you do not understand this lesson you will never have financial peace.  You need to learn to manage money with an open hand and have a giving heart.

Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof."  We must stop acting like we own everything and realize that we are stewards (managers) of God's property and money.  Jesus and the rest of the Bible talk more about money than it talks about love and grace.   Throughout those scriptures we are told to be givers because God is a giver.  Giving helps us be more Christ-like and therefore spiritually mature Christians.  Dave says, "because we are designed in God's image, we are happiest and most fulfilled when serving and giving."

While a lot of giving in Christianity focuses in on the tithe, the important thing is to realize that God owns it all, not just 10%.  Giving our tithe and offerings reminds us that God is the owner and is part of the praise and worship of God.

What is a tithe?  The tithe is defined as a tenth of your increase.  The Bible tells us to give our "first-fruits", which means off the top.  This is why Dave puts tithing on the top of all of his budget forms and should be done throughout the babysteps, not just when you get out of debt.   The tithe is to go to your local church.

What are offerings?  Offerings are different than the tithe.  They are above the tithe and are freely given our of surplus.  Dave recommends this type of giving after you get out of debt or when God calls you to do it.  You should never give with the motive of having your giving returned.

We are on babystep 6 and are looking forward to to making it babystep 7 and being creative in ways we can give to others!  This ends my series on the Financial Peace curriculum.  If you have any other topics you would be interested in please comment below or email me at brownsbalancedlife@gmail.com.