Studies have shown that while money is not the key to happiness, being able to not worry about paying or bills or how you are going to afford to have food on the table tomorrow does have a large impact on your happiness. This should come as no surprise. This has long been one of the basic Christian financial concepts. The Lord wants us to live a happy, fulfilling life, and part of that happy, fulfilling life is being able to live secure in the knowledge that you have the money you need to prepare yourself for the future.
But there are other concepts in play as well. After all, the Bible tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil. (This is often misquoted as money is the root of all evil, but this is not the actual message of the text.) As Christians, we are not meant to lust after money as its own end. After all, one cannot serve both God and Mammon.
However, one of the important Christian financial concepts is this: how can we truly serve God if we are every day worried about losing our lives to the secular god of Mammon? This is a very real danger in our society. Losing our homes, losing our health, losing our very lives. Is this really what God intends for us?
We must make an important distinction here, however. Many evangelists these days preach a "Prosperity Theology" which promises that every Christian deserves to be rich. This sort of teaching is most commonly found among the televangelists. These preachers will often say that if you give them money in order to continue their ministries (and live extravagant lifestyles) you will be blessed with money of your own.
This sort of thinking flies in the face of Christian financial concepts. It flies in the face of basic financial common sense, in fact. While God does look after us, sending money to charlatans on television is not the way to become financially secure. If you seek out true Christian financial counseling, they will be able to inform you not only of basic financial concepts but about how being a Christian applies to your financial life.
Christian financial counseling can be a very powerful way for you not only to invigorate your faith but to strength your finances as well. We are living in a money-driven world, and being able to know that you are secure in your finances is vital to your life and your happiness. Christian financial concepts can help us along the way, and Christian financial counseling is a great way to assist us in doing what needs to get done in order that we might live a full, rewarding life.
Do not be fooled into thinking that in order to be good Christians we must be poor mendicants walking the street. This is not the message of the Gospel. On the reverse, do not be fooled into thinking that as a Christian you are guaranteed to live a life of fantabulous, unbelievable wealth. Although we are saved by the Grace of God, we are still men who walk this Earth.