This week’s Bible and Money focus is on James 1:4. It’s a verse that doesn’t explicitly talk about money, though I think we can definitely make a money application.
“When your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything.” – James 1:4 (TLB)
Earlier in chapter 1, James explains that we will all go through difficult or challenging times where our faith will be tested or tried. For many of us those trials will involve money.
The good news is that these tough times don’t have to break us. Tough times can make us if we allow them to create within us patience and endurance.
James 1:4 explains that somehow the more we experience and learn patience or endurance, the more mature and complete we become. And we’re ready for anything that comes our way, whether it’s another trial or challenge, or an incredible opportunity or blessing.
I don’t know about you, but there have been times in my life when I’ve struggled to be patient when it came to money. Our culture makes it so easy for us to want and have everything – and now.
Can’t afford what you want (let alone what you need)? No worries. Because you can buy it now and pay for it later.
But here’s the problem: If we buy what we want on credit today and hope to pay for it sometime later, we’re always living in the past and paying for the decisions of the past instead of investing in the future.
If we learn to save and only buy what we need when we have the cash, we learn incredible patience and endurance while investing in our future. In no time, we’ll have the resources saved to do what we want, and more.
Looking back on my life, I’ve had a lot of buyers remorse and angst over things I was in a rush to buy, and a lot of stress over stuff I bought on credit and took years to pay it off. But I can’t recall any buyers remorse over things I planned and saved up for.
Actually, in some instances, the waiting produced not just patience but also greater clarity, and I realized that some things I was saving for weren’t actually worth buying or doing after all. Gratefully, when I decided I wanted something different, I already had the money saved up and available to be invested in that new way.
What about you? Have you experienced a time when a trial produced financial patience, endurance and peace in your life?
You might also like:
- The Bible & Money – Matthew 6:33 Seek First the Kingdom
- Generous Christian Living
- How Much Money is Enough?
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