When I was in college, I remember having a cloud of worry parked over my psyche every single day because I knew that I was taking out a LOT of money for school and I was going to have to pay it back. And it was during college that I decided my life theme verse from the Bible would be Matthew 6:33: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” The “all these things” are the things we tend to worry about in life: money, food, clothes, daily necessities. If I kept my eyes focused first on Christ in everything, then I could trust that He would provide for all my needs.
By God’s grace, my wife and I were able to work 70-80 hours/week in the summers of graduate school and pay off those loans (and pay for seminary). And it was during that time that my wife and I first heard about the financial advice from a teacher named Dave Ramsey. He teaches old fashioned common sense about money based on the Bible: work hard, give a lot, save a lot, and don’t spend more that you earn.
It’s that simple. But somehow, we as humans stray from financial common sense (and so do governments!). And sometimes, all it takes is a little discipline and accountability and we can find financial freedom and hope using God’s principles about money. For example, I have another favorite verse about money in the Bible that has helped me find incredible financial peace: “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).
So we are excited to be coordinating a class at our church called Financial Peace University. It starts tonight and it will go for 9 weeks every Wednesday evening at 7pm with free childcare. The location is at Trinity Assembly of God in Richmond, VA (233 N Courthouse Rd). The host church is Commonwealth Chapel.
If you live in the Richmond, VA area, we would love to see you there. The first night (tonight) is a free preview. If at that point you want to take the whole class, the cost is $95 and there are scholarships available.
