The 3 Most Important Financial Decisions To Make

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National Association of Christian Financial Consultants Leader Says If More Christians Would Keep These Three Tenets in Mind, They Would Go a Long Way in Honoring God with Their Money

ORLANDO, Fla.—It seems as though every financial planner or adviser has a list of “rules to live by.” But for Christians who are seeking to honor God with their money, the National Association of Christian Financial Consultants (NACFC, www.nacfc.org) president and co-founder Mark Minnella says keeping three ideals in mind are foundational to biblical financial management.

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Minnella, also the author of “The Wall Street Awakening,” says embracing a Biblically Responsible Investment philosophy, or BRI, is crucial in today’s culture as more and more companies take political and anti-biblical social stances with their resources. Today, he says, because of an open flow of information, corporations cannot hide their policies or their investments, and therefore Christian investors can see what their money supports—both good and bad.

“If Christian investors sincerely commit to do three things, they will build a future of honoring God with their investment decisions for decades to come,” Minnella said. “I have spoken and worked with people regarding personal finance most of my adult life and have, time after time, seen how God blessed those who blessed others. Many of those I have known have outright stated they could not out give God. We are His stewards. Our job is to use the money and possessions God puts in our life to His glory.”

Minnella often communicates these three goals with clients who want to bring the Lord into their financial decisions.

  1. Embrace the concept of biblical financial stewardship: God owns everything. “‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty”—Haggai 2:8. At the time this verse was written, Minnella says, silver and gold were used as a means of exchange so a modern-day interpretation of this verse would be that God owns all money. Likewise, many people retained material wealth in their livestock, and this was frequently a measure of one’s material resources.
  2. Minimize debt: Not a single verse in the Bible instructs, encourages or condones Christians to go into debt, but there are dozens of verses directly warning not to—one specifically: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law”—Romans 13:8. Deuteronomy 15:6 also says, “For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you,” while Psalm 37:21 reminds that “The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.”
  3. Start giving generously: Throughout His Word, God tells His people to give generously to care for the poor, widows and orphans in need. “He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses”—Proverbs 28:27. God also promises to care for us as we care for others, Minnella adds. Proverbs 3:9-10 says to “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.”

NACFC is coming off its successful annual “BRIghten Your Practice” conference held last month in Charlotte. At the event, attendees were provided resources, training and more, as they aim to work with Christian clients who are increasingly becoming more aware of the impact their God-given resources make in our culture.

The mission of the National Association of Christian Financial Consultants is to teach, train and encourage financial professionals to learn, share and instruct biblical stewardship to individuals and families believing that “it profits a man nothing to gain the whole world and lose his soul” (Matthew 16:26). Members will glorify God by impacting their world for Jesus Christ through teaching and practicing biblical stewardship.

For more information on NACFC, visit nacfc.org. View the media page for NACFC here.

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