It’s no secret that much of what we do at Faith Driven Consumer™ involves money. We exist within the marketplace – the place where money is exchanged. We represent consumers – people who use money to buy things. And, while we operate as a business within the commerce industry, we also represent you in that industry. In our position in the industry, we offer ways for you to save money and offer businesses ways to make more money, through promoting those which demonstrate faith compatible actions. Although we are committed to our mission and believe we are bringing glory to God and supporting the faith community through our services, we don’t hide that we are also a business. We also need to make money ourselves in order to support this mission. But, isn’t money a dirty word? Doesn’t Jesus say that money is the root of all evil? How can an organization that is all about money be committed to the cause of Christ and his plan for us?
Those are very good questions. As followers of Christ, we should all be careful about how much we let money dictate and control our lives. More importantly, we should be especially careful about pursuing money above all else. In fact, Jesus does NOT say that money is the root of all evil. Instead, the Bible says, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils.” (Timothy 6:10 ESV)
So, why does the Scripture make a careful effort to note that it is not money, but the love of money, that can lead to many evils? Because the rest of the Scriptures teach us that money, while a necessary and wonderful blessing from God, is simply a tool in the hands of its user.
Money can be used for good or bad purposes. It can be used to glorify God or to sin against Him. It can be used to help others or to selfishly indulge one’s pleasures in ungodly ways. It can be wasted, or it can be saved, or stewarded, in such a way as to increase it and its potential for good.
This word “steward” is important. We often use it exclusively in Christian spheres, so much so, that it might now have officially become a “Christian-ese” word. You know what I’m talking about. Like how when we spend time with other believers in Christian contexts we fellowship, instead of hang out (when we know it’s the same thing). Well, stewardship may be a Christian-ese word, but it’s a very important one because it helps us think biblically about our finances and what God has given us. And that’s it right there – God gives us blessings, and money is one of the biggest blessings He provides since it allows us to secure many important needs and even some wants. Since it ultimately comes from God, it means that He has entrusted it to us; therefore, we are responsible for it and what we do with it – just as we are responsible for all of our actions before God.
Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 25 about three servants who were entrusted with their master’s money while he went away. The first two servants wisely invested and traded the money for which they were responsible, and they doubled the money they had been given. But the last servant was lazy and fearful. This servant did nothing with the money to which he was entrusted and instead buried it in the ground until the master returned. Upon the masters return, he was grateful and rewarded the first two servants greatly, telling them, “Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.” But the last servant he scolded and took from him what he had given him and gave it to the first servant, casting out the lazy servant into the darkness.
This parable is meant to teach us the importance of what God has given us – the gifts or resources to which he has entrusted us. God is the good master who entrusts His people with much. And He has provided us with everything we need to turn those gifts and resources (which He has given us) into even more, so we can honor and glorify Him through everything we do with them. We may use our money to buy things we need for life and the protection of our family, or we may give it back to him through tithing or donating to widows, orphans or the most vulnerable in our society. Or even if we spend our money enjoying pleasures God, in His goodness, has allowed us to enjoy because He loves us, we do so as stewards of these good gifts He has granted us. Only if we have this biblical perspective will we be able to use money to accomplish great things that glorify God, instead of allowing it to distract us. Money comes from God as a gift, and it is best served as tool in the plan that God has for each of our lives and for this world.
This is our perspective on finances here at FDC. We believe that God has entrusted all of us with resources – some with more and some with less – but ALL with the call to be good stewards of that which God has provided. FDC exists to help you do just that. We will help you save money. We’ll also help you spend it more wisely. We’ll make a real impact as we utilize our collective spending power, together as the FDC community. But, we’ll be careful to remember that all of this is God’s money in the first place, and we are just His servants entrusted, for a short time, with these wonderful gifts to be stewarded and ultimately given back to Him. This is what we believe at FDC, and we are excited about living that out alongside each of you.
