Key Scriptures:  Your Faith and Accounting

You do not have to separate your faith from your business. In fact, accounting and your faith go hand in hand. Let’s discuss this thought further. Below are six Biblical values you should keep in mind when approaching business, especially accounting. 

(1) Stewardship: The money you have is not yours

A steward is someone entrusted with another’s wealth or property and charged with the responsibility of managing it in the owner’s best interest. A manager is not the owner, he only manages what has been given to him. 

As a steward (manager) you are responsible for the treasure God has given you. God has given you money, possessions and material goods. It is your responsibility to manage it for God’s best interest. Read The Parable of the Bags of Gold found in Matthew 25:14-30. While God has graciously entrusted us with the care, development, and enjoyment of everything he owns as his stewards, we are responsible to manage his holdings well and according to his desires and purposes.

2) Accounting: Keep good records of your money

God wants you to keep good records of the money He has entrusted you with. Proverbs 27:23 says, “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever” (NIV 84). God tells us to know the condition of our money and to give careful attention to our finances. We are being told to know whether our money is healthy or sick, if we are doing well with it or poorly with it. How is this accomplished? By keeping good records of your money; whether it’s a large or small amount. The way you know the “condition” of your money is to keep good records of your money by applying the principles of accounting.

(3) Budgeting: Have a plan for the money you are entrusted with

God wants you to have a plan for the money He has entrusted with you. God’s Word teaches that the wise person plans ahead, the foolish person simply lives for today. As followers of Jesus, we are told to plan how we are going to spend or invest God’s money. Proverbs 24:3-4, “Any enterprise [including your finances] is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts” (LB). Proverbs 21:5, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty” (NIV 84). Having a plan for your money is called a budget. A budget is telling your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went. Every believer needs to develop a God driven plan for the money they have.

(4) Saving: Set money aside for the future

God wants us to set aside money for the future. God knows the value of conserving money for a rainy day or a later day. Proverbs 21:20, “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (LB) You can also look at Proverbs 30:24-25. People who save money are wise. 

(5) Patience: Financial success doesn’t come overnight

God wants us to be patient with our finances. Proverbs 21:5, “If you plan and work hard, you will have plenty; if you get in a hurry, you will end up poor” (CEV). If you are working to become a success, don’t expect it to happen overnight. You cannot get in a hurry when it comes to finances. It’s day by day, week by week, check by check, and year by year. Its saying “no” to what you don’t need over and over. It’s saying “yes” to God’s way of money management over and over. The Bible says if “you plan and work hard” eventually “you will have plenty.”

(6) Integrity: Honesty is Key

Throughout the book of Proverbs the importance of telling the truth comes up consistently. Look at Proverbs 8:6-7, 14:25, 21:6, 24:28 (just to name a few). Not only words, but also deeds, can be either truthful or false. “The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully” (Prov. 13:5, emphasis added). The most prominent form of dishonest action in the proverbs is the use of false weights and measures. “Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work” (Prov. 16:11). Conversely, “a false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight” (Prov. 11:1). “Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are not good” (Prov. 20:23). False weights and measures refer to defrauding a customer about the product being sold. Mislabeling a product, short-cutting the promised quality, and misrepresenting the source or origin—in addition to blatantly falsifying the quantity—are examples of this kind of dishonesty. Such practices are an abomination to God. 

There are practical reasons for acting honestly. In the short run, dishonest acts may produce a larger income, but in the long run, clients or customers will catch on and take their business elsewhere. Yet ultimately, it is the fear of God that corrals us, even when we think we could get away with dishonesty on human terms. “Diverse weights and diverse measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 20:10). 

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