![]() ![]() Bite the bullet early! Talk about your finances, your goals, and the money-related strengths and weaknesses that will help or sabotage you. It may be difficult at first to talk about this sensitive topic but if you don’t, you will talk about it eventually, and it probably won’t be a pleasant conversation. On our radio broadcast, Larry Burkett said about couples, “I have said a million times and I believe it, if you are not communicating about money, it is because you are not communicating about anything.” How true this is. Having already alluded to his first two points, I want to get practical and review the thrust of Ron’s third point-the basics. Spend less than you earn, do it for a long time, and you will be financially successful.Money is never an end in itself, but is merely a resource used to accomplish other goals and obligations.I love Ron Blue’s summary of the proper attitude toward money in his book Master Your Money: But having been around the block a few times, I have some pointers I believe will be of benefit to any couple. I am no guru on money management bookstore shelves bulge with many good books on this topic, a number of them by Christian financial experts such as Ron Blue and Larry Burkett. Let me offer “hard-knock university” knowledge on finances. If we keep our attention on God and His objectives, we will walk in obedience and help build His kingdom, and our needs will be richly supplied (1 Timothy 6:17-18). The most important point we all need to remember about money is that it is just another part of life, not the essence or goal of our existence. Many times, money issues have sent Barbara and me back to dependence on God. He tests our faithfulness to His Word-whether we are going to trust Him to supply our needs as we give, share, and become wise stewards of the financial resources He has placed under our care. ![]() We need the knowledge and discipline to use wisely the money we already have.Īs I read Scriptures about money, and as I have experienced money challenges in our marriage, I believe that God uses money to test us. But could I at least keep some through the weekend?” Deep down we all know that a money shortage usually is not the real issue. Most of us believe that the only real money problem is “not enough.” A friend of mine said, “I know I can’t take it with me. The expert on money matters, Larry Burkett, once said on our FamilyLife Today radio broadcast, “Of the couples who end up getting a divorce, every survey shows between 85 to 90 percent of them say the number one problem they were having was finances.” There’s no question that the way to handle money causes stress in most marriages. A memorable moment happens to almost all newlyweds at the end of their first month of marriage: Husband or wife assembles a pile of bills and receipts on the kitchen table, looks at the checkbook balance, and then breaks into a cold sweat! If the differing expectations and value systems present in every home have not collided before now, they are about to.
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