Updated September 20, 2023| ©Alexa Franck 2023

Sometimes it feels like our lives revolve around making money and spending money. And it can be challenging to have confidence in our money management with all the options thrown at us. Did you know there are over 2,000 Bible verses about managing finances that can guide us? We’re called to properly steward what God has given us and foster a healthy relationship with money. So you may be wondering: What exactly does the Bible say about money?

Start with Generosity

Learn how to cultivate a culture of generosity toward God and our neighbours of whatever kind within and outside your church.

Titus_1:7 For a bishop [and all who follow his example] must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

Deuteronomy 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

Deu 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

Deu 14:24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

Deu 14:25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:

Deu 14:26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

Deu 14:27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

Deu 14:28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

Deu 14:29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

How to Have a Healthy Relationship with Money

We live in a culture that tells us having more is better. Our tendency as sinful human beings is to want more money, a bigger house [with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms], a newer phone, and more expensive possessions. If we’re trying to find our happiness in money, we’ll never be satisfied.

Before we can steward what God gives us, we need to have a healthy relationship with money. Christians are called to contentment with what God has given them in each stage of life. Take a look at these bible verses about managing finances.

1. Whoever loves money never has enough (Ecclesiastes 5:10) “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”
2. It is God who gives you the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”
3. You cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
4. Don’t be greedy for money (1 Peter 5:2) “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;”
5. Whoever is greedy troubles his household (Proverbs 15:27) “Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.”
   

   How to Properly Steward What God Has Given You

   Scripture reminds us that God ultimately owns everything here on earth. Our job is to responsibly steward the resources that God has given us. We also have the opportunity to bring God glory through the ways that we manage our finances.

   In these Bible verses about managing finances, we see some main principles:

   • God blesses those who make money through honest work rather than sinful practices.
   • God calls us to pay back what we owe and help those who have helped us.
   • It’s wise for us to plan, think through how we’ll make money, and spend money.
   • Saving money can help set us up for future financial success.
6. Dishonest money dwindles away (Proverbs 13:11) “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
7. Pay what you owe to others (James 5:4-6) “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.”
8. A wise man thinks ahead (Proverbs 13:16) “A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t, and even brags about it!”
9. The plans of the diligent lead to profit (Proverbs 21:5) “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
10. Sit down and estimate the cost (Luke 14:28) “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?
11. It is wise to store up wealth (Proverbs 30:24-25) “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;”
12. Provide for your household (1 Timothy 5:8) “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
13. Be not one of those who give pledges (Proverbs 14:23) “Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?”

    What The Bible Says About Tithing and Giving

    God calls us to live generously through tithes and offerings. Tithing is an intentional practice to remind us of God’s sovereign ownership of all we have. It can be easy to go through the motions, so we need to intentionally decide how we want to use our resources to further His kingdom and take care of others.

14. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-8) “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;”
15. Do not be hardhearted or tightfisted (Deuteronomy 15:7) “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them.”
16. It is more blessed to give than to receive (Act 20:25) “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
17. When you give to the needy, do not announce it (Matthew 6:2-5) “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
18. I will give a full tenth to you (Genesis 28:20-22)

    “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

    As you share bible verses about managing finances and giving, it’s important to remove any barriers that are keeping your church from living generously. By improving the process of giving and making it simple for donors to give regularly, your church will see more dependable generosity all year round.

    How to Manage Money in Times of Abundance

    It can be easy to fixate on our wealth in this uncertain world, thinking it can solve our problems. Wealth can be a gift from God, and we can use it to bring Him glory when appropriately managed. In times of prosperity, God calls us to be generous and ready to share with those who have less. By being generous and rich in good works, we store up the treasure of a good foundation for the future.

19. Honor the Lord from your wealth (Proverbs 3:9-10) “Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
20. It is a good thing to receive wealth from God (Ecclesiastes 5:19) “And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.”
21. We will bring our firstfruits to the Lord (Nehemiah 10:35) “We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the LORD.”
22. Don’t fix your hope on the uncertainty of riches (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

    “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

    How to Trust God in Times of Financial Need

    In the Bible, there are many accounts of God providing for those in need. We see God provide food for Israel in the wilderness, for Elijah during a drought, for Samaria during a time of famine. We also see God providing money, healing, comfort, and protection. In times of need, we aren’t promised that God will give us wealth and riches. But we see in these bible verses about managing finances that God will supply the needs of his people.

23. God will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19) “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
24. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it (Psalms 81:10) “I am the Lord Your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
25. God clothes the grass of the field, how much more will he clothe you (Luke 12:28)

    “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!”

When we approach money with the right attitude and look to God’s Word as a source of guidance, we can learn to manage our finances in a way that brings glory to God.