Topic 4: Money

So, let's talk about money. I never understood money while I was growing up. It was made to be spent, and I knew how to spend. I remember one summer when I worked at least 40 hours every week, went fishing every saturday, ate out frequently, and at the end of the summer, I didn't have a penny to my name. So, I had to keep working during the school year so I could buy the stuff that I wanted—music, clothes, school stuff, dates, and so forth. I just didn't understand the way it flowed. I was just trying to have some fun, but as soon as the money dried up, so did the fun.

And it isn't as if the act of getting older made me any smarter. Julie and I were blessed with an opportunity after we were married to live in an apartment for $200 a month. Good luck finding anything like that. But did we save? Were we wise? Probably not. I'm not sure we saved anything significant during that time. We did dumb things like refinance a car to pay for repairs that cost more than the car was actually worth.

Part of the reason I decided to study accounting and finance is so that I could learn more about how to manage my own money. But the one person who taught me more about money than anybody else was Jesus. Five years of accounting and finance, an advanced degree, a CPA license, and all I really needed to know, I found in the scriptures. Here's one example of a principle that I learned about:

Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).

Mammon can be defined as riches, avarice and worldly gain. We cannot serve God and riches. What does this mean? It means that if you are a servant of money, you can't fully serve God. Who are the servants of mammon? They are the people who haven't yet learned to master their money. You will either be master of money, or you will be a slave to it. If you are a slave to your money (or your boat, or your house, or your snowmachines, or whatever), you can't always fully serve God.

I can't tell you how many times I met a person who couldn't find time to attend church, or participate in a service project, or play with his kids because he "had to go to work." And, more often than not, this same person was paying several hundred dollars a month to the satellite/cable company, who was driving a leased car, who wore the latest fashions... you get the picture. Who was in charge of that persons life? Right. Mammon. It's a choice you make—you cannot serve God and mammon.

On the other hand, I know several persons who are not what most persons consider fiscally successful: they don't drive the latest car, they don't wear the coolest jeans, they don't live in the nicest house, but they seem to have time to help their neighbors, give generously to charity, share what they have, and are content with the hand that's been dealt them. They have enough.

The term "enough" was a key in my understanding of money. For most of my life, I wanted "more" (and I admit, there are still times when I find myself wanting "more"), but when your goal is "more" you can never have "enough." It's such a powerful concept to find the point where you have "enough."

When you have enough, you can create that cushion so that when the company that convinced you to move into the wilderness with their flashy stock options and promises of bonuses fires you, you can just roll with the punches. Maybe you'll take the next two weeks to appreciate your new baby, and spend time with your family, and get set for the job hunt that's coming. That's what I did.

When you have enough, you can put something away for a rainy day, or sock it away in your kid's mission fund. Or, you can do things like send some extra cash to your friends when the Spirit prompts you that they're having trouble. Or drop off some diapers and a couple gallons of milk for the people who are having troubles. That's what other people did for us.

So, dear reader… which will you choose? Will you be a slave to money and mammon? Or will you choose to be a master of money and a servant of God? I hope you'll choose the latter.