5 Reasons Why You Need a Budget!

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If I asked you to tell me how much you spend eating out or buying gas each month, could you tell me? What about your household’s true cost of living?

This is the most basic reason you need a budget: To be able to plan and track where your money goes! Most people who I speak to about their finances have no clue how much they spend on a monthly basis. All they know is that by the end of the month, their bank accounts are nearly empty and they are waiting for their next paycheck.

Even if you don’t find yourself scraping together pennies at the end of the month, you still need to have a budget in place. In order to take control of your finances you need to come up with a plan. This means assigning a job to every dollar that you receive before you ever receive it.

How? You need to create and update a budget in order to plan and keep track of your spending. This goes both ways – if you don’t keep track of your spending, then creating a budget is pointless. You have to periodically evaluate your spending to ensure that you are staying on track.

Why You Need A Budget

Budgeting - You Need A Budget

You Need A Budget To Accomplish A Financial Goal

It will be nearly impossible to accomplish a financial goal without a budget – of course it can be done, but with a lot more hassle and waste. With a budget, you can allocate a specific amount toward your goal – whether it be savings or debt repayment – and ensure that it is reasonable.

It will also be easier to accelerate your plan by reducing spending in one or more areas and funneling that money into your “main goal”.

If you look at our 52-week savings challenge results, you’ll see an example of how budgeting can help you reach a financial goal.

You Need A Budget To Help Handle “Shocks” To Your Finances

If you find out today that your job will be cutting your salary, or implementing furloughs (mandatory, unpaid days off), how would you handle it? Would you be able to make the necessary adjustments?

If you keep track of your spending (which will be necessary to follow a budget), it will be easy for you to make these adjustments. You will be able to look at every area of spending and determine where you need to cut back – or even if it’s worth it to try to increase your income.

Learn how to set up a financial contingency plan (and no, it’s not as simple as having an emergency fund)!

You Need A Budget To Identify Areas Of Waste

Waste Money

Most people who make small daily purchases (like coffee, breakfast, or lunch), are shocked to see how much they’re really spending in these areas. It’s easy to spend $5 on a cup of coffee and a bagel in the morning, $3 on a candy bar and soda from the vending machine, and then spend $6-$10 on lunch without even thinking about it.

However, if you have established a budget, it will become increasingly difficult for these expenses to escape your attention.

The first month after you set up your budget will probably be a big eye-opener for you (it definitely was for me). Remember that coffee, candy and lunch from above? You would probably budget about $50 or $75 to that category. However, 22 days (the typical amount of work days in a month) of that type of spending will cost you nearly $400 every month!

Committing to (and adjusting when necessary) a budget will help you to evaluate this type of spending and decide if you should divert money from another category, or change your habits!

You Need A Budget To Ensure That Any Surplus Is Not Spent On Frivolous Items

Similar to looking for areas of waste, this will call for you to identify areas where you can reduce or eliminate spending. Once you allocate your income across living expenses, giving, debt repayment and savings, you may find that you have money left over (a problem that we all would love to have).

Instead of this money just being absorbed into your spending (something that usually happens without a budget), you will be able to give this surplus a new assignment. This, of course, depends on your exact situation and level of risk aversion.

You may choose to give more, accelerate your debt repayment, increase your savings, or master your investment strategy. The point is that having a budget will easily allow you to identify these opportunities.

You Need A Budget To Help Develop Discipline In Multiple Areas

Value of Time

This is accomplished in a few ways. First, you are forcing yourself to tightly control your spending, which will call for discipline – especially if this is the first time you have done this.

Secondly, by constantly monitoring your finances and having to make small adjustments, you are more aware of every financial decision you make.

By holding yourself accountable for every dollar that you spend, you will tend to evaluate your free time in the same manner. For instance, you will begin to consider the value of your time in terms of money and lost opportunity, which may cause you to re-evaluate your decisions.

These are just some of the reasons why you need to develop a budget. Over the next few days, we will look a few painless steps you can take to create a budget, and also to change your thinking about money!

Read The Rest Of The Series

Reader Questions

  1. What are some of the benefits that you see in having a budget?
  2. How often to you review your spending to ensure that you are within your budget?
  3. Have you ever discovered that your budget was unrealistic?

I look forward to your comments.

Should I Cosign For a Loan?

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A friend or family member needs a loan, but their credit score is not high enough (due to terrible or no credit history, or massive credit card debt), or they don’t have a large enough down payment or some other reason. So they come to you and ask you to be a cosigner on their loan.

 

What Does It Mean To Be A Cosigner?

To be a  “cosigner”, simply means that you agree to assume the responsibility of another person’s debt if they are unable to pay it. For example, if you are a cosigner on your brother’s $20k car loan, you have now agreed to pay the bank back that $20k (or whatever is left at the time of default) if your brother is not able to pay it back.

Many people will face this dilemma at one point in their lives. In fact, many people will actually cosign for loans even when they do not feel comfortable doing it. It is usually due to not wanting to be the bad guy, or is sometimes a genuine attempt to help someone. This is often viewed as a way to help out someone in need – such as a responsible, young person who just needs a chance to display or prove their credit worthiness; or a way to assist your child at the beginning of their “independent life”. But is this a wise thing to do?

What Does The Bible Say About Being A Cosigner?

Proverbs 17:18 tells us that,

A man lacking in sense pledges and becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

Right away we see that the bible describes one who becomes a cosigner on a loan as “senseless“! We can see that it is not a wise thing to make a pledge based on someone else’s ability to pay back a loan.

We also see such council in Proverbs 22:26,

Do not be among those who give pledges, among those who become guarantors for debts.

Not only are we instructed not to cosign for a loan, but we are also shown some of the dangers of doing so… Proverbs 11:15 tells us that:

He who is a guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it, but he who hates being a guarantor is secure.

So, we are actually told that we will “surely suffer” if we decide to pledge ourselves for another person’s debt; and that one way to stay secure is to “hate being a guarantor“! Those are very strong words to describe what has become such a common practice today.

Also in Proverbs 20:16 we find these words,

Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; and for foreigners, hold him in pledge.

It was common to pledge a garment as security for a loan, but – according to Exodus 22:26-27 and Deuteronomy 24:10-13 – that garment had to be returned by sundown.

The idea here is that one who is foolish enough to pledge himself for the debt of a stranger will most likely never be paid back; so the one making the loan should demand the cosigner’s garment as security for the loan.

This shows the senseless and unpredictable nature of pledging your possessions or your life based on another person’s ability or willingness to pay their debts.

Also, one question that must be asked is, “Why does this person need a cosigner?”. The most basic reason is that their bank does not believe that they will pay back the loan.

They use their own experience, a few calculations and the potential borrower’s history with loans (usually expressed on their credit report) to make their decision regarding the loan.

When they request a cosigner they are basically saying, “We don’t trust this person to be able to pay us back, but if YOU are willing to take all the risk then we will give him the money!

What Should You Do If You Have Already Become A Cosigner?

Proverbs 6:1-5 gives us additional instruction. This time however, the instruction is given to one who has already pledged himself on behalf of someone else:
My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, have given a pledge for a stranger
If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, have been caught with the words of your mouth
Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor; go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor.
Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids;
Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

As we can see from the strong language in this passage, it is a serious matter to pledge yourself on behalf of another. This is because you have essentially given up control of something that God has given to you as a stewardship, and have become “snared” by your pledge.

This situation is so serious that you must do everything that you can to free yourself from this arrangement and gain back control of your God-given resources. Look at how strong the language is here; you are told to “deliver yourself” and not to sleep until you have freed yourself (see Proverbs 22:7)! You are to act as a gazelle  or bird that is about to lose their life to the hunter!

So, if you are in this situation, it should be your highest priority to free yourself from this before you “surely suffer” (Proverbs 11:15; cf. Genesis 43:9, Genesis 44:32-33).

What can you do instead if you want to help?

If you still want to help while obeying God’s word regarding cosigning, there are a few things that you still can do.

Give Them An Interest-Free Loan:

If you know the person is in need, this is one way to help them that will honor God. Proverbs 28:8 assures us that,

He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

According to Deuteronomy 23:19-20, it was against the law for an Israelite to charge interest to fellow Jews (of course, loans were only to be requested in times of extreme need and poverty – not to fund frivolous, sinful spending like we see today), but many violated this command. As we see here, giving someone in need a loan and not charging interest is a way that you can assist the one in need and please God.

Give them the money that they need.

Proverbs 19:17 tells us that,

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.

If you are able, giving your money to one in need – and only expecting repayment from the Lord – is another way to assist a brother in need and honor God with your finances.

Final Thoughts:

As mentioned earlier, since the bible teaches that debt is slavery (Proverbs 22:7), borrowing should only be done when one has a basic need that cannot be met by their income. It was usually a short-term loan, and the Israelites were commanded to forgive all debt every seven years (see Deuteronomy 15:1-15).

Much of the borrowing that we see today represents a person’s desire to live above their means, and I do not believe that type of borrowing (or giving) is what God is speaking of. Hopefully, I will have a chance to address this in much detail in a future article.

So overall we see that God is completely against the idea of one becoming a cosigner for the debt of another, even if we are really seeking to be a blessing to someone in need. However, the bible does teach us other ways in which we can assist others.

I mentioned stewardship earlier. I realize that this may not be a term or concept that is familiar to many modern readers, but this is a concept that God expects us all to understand. A steward is one who manages another person’s property, finances or other affairs. Here are several articles that do a good job of describing the concept of stewardship:

I would love to hear your thoughts on cosigning – even better would be your experiences with it. If you have any questions on this or other concepts, please leave your comment below.

photo credit: 4PIZON

How to Choose A Career Path

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When considering a career path, one can feel overwhelmed by the various choices. In order to help you narrow down your choices, some well-meaning friend will tell you, “do what you love”, while another will say, “choose a career that will pay a lot of money”. Who is right in this case? How can you determine what path to take?

 

I was reading an article titled, “Doing What You Love Versus Doing What Pays” that looks at common advice on the subject. In reading the comments to that article, it seemed as though most of the readers would advise someone to choose a career path based on the potential income. Others still stuck with the “do what you love” advice that many hold to.

But is it really that simple? Let’s take a look at a few of the pros and cons to both of these views, and also see if there isn’t some other choice that we can make.

A Career Path that you don’t love but pays well:

Pros:

  • You will make a good amount of money
  • You will more than likely avoid the stress that comes from having a lower income (of course this ultimately depends on your financial discipline)
  • The added income may give you the financial freedom that you need to pursue what you love, as a hobby – or at least to not focus on the income it generates
  • You may be able to retire faster and then do what you love full-time

Career Path
photo credit: HikingArtist.com

Cons:

  • If you dislike a particular field, it may be harder to gain enough of an expertise in order to be highly compensated (for instance, those who hate math will not make top notch engineers)
  • You may be required to give up quality time with family and friends in order to accomplish your salary goal
  • Some people with higher incomes find it harder to exercise financial discipline than those with lower ones
  • Many high paying careers paths are also considered to be the most stressful
  • This stress will impact your relationship with family and friends over the long run

A Career Path that you love, regardless of the pay:

Pros:

  • Your love of that field will make you a great student, and so you may excel to the point where you are a top earner in that sector
  • You will have a sense of fulfillment and happiness from your work
  • The lower salary may force you to develop financial discipline
  • You may have lower levels of work-related stress

Career Path

photo credit: icadrews

Cons:

  • Lower salary – you may have to live a much simpler life
  • May take you longer to retire – this may not be a big issue for you if you absolutely love your job
  • If you lose your job, it may be harder to find a new one – although there are a few low paying jobs that are in demand

A couple of things to note. First, this is by no means an exhaustive list. Actually, I am counting on your comments below to help fill in the missing pieces. Second, you will notice that many of these points use uncertain terms like “may”, or “many”; this is due to the fact that many of these will not be true in EVERY case.

My take on choosing a Career Path is this:

I think that the answer to this question is different for everyone and is a matter of prospective. My initial reaction to this question was, “If you can get paid a ‘decent’ living wage for doing what you love, go for it! We wouldn’t have teachers, social workers, or pastors if people didn’t follow this line of thinking.” I also said to myself, “Money isn’t everything, and if you have to be miserable for 10 hours/day just to make a few extra dollars, it probably isn’t worth it.”

Do what you love, and if the pay isn’t great, lower your standard of living to match your pay. You can’t determine your standard of living apart from your income. In other words, LIVE WITHIN (or actually below) YOUR MEANS! This is true no matter what your income turns out to be.

However, for many there is little to no career opportunity in what they “love“. In that case, find a balance. Do something you like, and if it doesn’t pay enough to maintain your desired standard of living, try to make a few bucks from what you love. Like others have said, don’t choke the life out of what you love by focusing on money, but maybe you can be a consultant in that area or start a blog giving advice about it.

Ultimately, we should be content with whatever financial/work situation in which we find ourselves. In the words of the Apostle Paul:

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:11-13

We see from this passage that our situation should not be able to determine our satisfaction or contentment in this life – especially if we are slaves to Christ!

Personally, I happened to “like” a field that is in good demand (Economics & Finance). However, my true love is Theology, and that may be something that is in my future.

What about you? What choice did you make? Any regrets? How would you advise someone in choosing a career path? Would you tell them to look for money, happiness, or both?

To help you in your choice, Payscale.com has released it’s list of “Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary”:

Degrees Degrees
Methodology
Annual pay for Bachelors graduates without higher degrees. Typical starting graduates have 2 years of experience; mid-career have 15 years. See full methodology for more.

Not an engineer or an economist? Here is the full list: http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp

Be sure to leave your comments below.

 

photo credit: jeremy.wilburn

3 Ways to Honor the Lord with Your Wealth

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There is clear instruction to honor the Lord with your wealth in the scriptures.

In Proverbs 3:9-10 we find this command: “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.”

Honor the Lord with Your Wealth

In our finances, we are expected to give our BEST and FIRST to God! God commanded the nation of Israel saying, “You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God” (Exodus 23:19a) and when detailing the offerings that went toward supporting the priests He says, “You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first shearing of your sheep” (Deuteronomy 18:4).

We are to honor the Lord with all that we have. How we behave with our finances does a lot to reveal our heart toward God. Jesus said, “…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also“. ~ Matthew 6:21

How Do You Honor the Lord With Your Wealth?

How do we accomplish this?

We are exhorted to trust Him.

We are instructed in verse 5 of Proverbs 3 to “trust in the Lord with all [our] heart and do not lean on [our] own understanding”. Trusting God is the first step in honoring Him – this is true in salvation, finances and all other affairs of life. According to Romans 4:3 (quoting Genesis 15:6), this is what pleased God about Abraham.

Often times when we falter in our faith, we don’t realize it is due to unbelief, or in other words, a lack of trusting in God. When it comes to our finances, this can be seen by our dependence on money to ‘save’ us from trouble or blaming our lack of money on our troubles.

We have to remember that no matter what life may bring us, God is our source. He is the one who brings prosperity and opportunity to us, and as His children, He promises to supply our needs because He is a caring Father. Matthew 6:25-35

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

In times of doubt, we must cry out to the Lord as the man who needed Jesus’ help to heal his son in Mark 9:24  “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

We are also expected to be generous and ready to share.

Proverbs 11:24-29 tells us:

“There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. He who withholds grain, the people will curse him, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it. He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who seek evil, evil will come to him. He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. He who troubles his own house will inherit wind, and the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted.”

Also in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, we find this instruction:

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.

It is amazing to see this principle played out over and over again in our lives. If you are generous even when you have little, God seems to bless your finances to be able to do more than most who have more money than you.

We constantly hear and read about people who recovered from massive amounts of debt while staying faithful (and in many cases increasing) to giving. In fact, most respected financial advisers (many of whom do not believe God’s word) will tell their clients that giving has to be an integral part of their lives in order to be successful financially.

We should be fair in our dealings with others.

In verses Proverbs 3:27-28 we find the following instruction,

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,’ when you have it with you.”

As believers, we are called to an even greater level of consideration as we contemplate Christ’s goodness towards us and His example. Philippians 2:3-4 states:

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

So in doing all of these things we will begin to honor the Lord with our wealth; which, according to verse 10, will lead to God sustaining us, causing us to be prosperous (cf Luke 6:38, Matthew 6:33) and satisfied (Philippians 4:11-13)!

For more on developing a biblical view of wealth, see our previous article here: http://knsfinancial.com/2010/01/10/wealth-from-the-bible/

 

 

Photo for social media by Suphakit 73 @ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Setting Our Goals Based On God’s Word

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Since we are at the beginning of a new year, many of us will take the time to reflect on the past year to look on our accomplishments and failures, as well as make plans and set goals for the next year. For the Christian however, we must not only consider the goal but we must look at what motivates us.

Setting Our Goals Based On God’s Word

The Bible makes it clear that it is not enough to think about what we do, but we are to think about who we are – our character, our desires, and our passions. God is much more interested in who we are than what we do; because who we are should ultimately control our actions.

Many times when the Bible gives a command, or we are exhorted to do something, we are usually given the motivation or reward behind those actions. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14 that he was constrained (or controlled) by the love of God. He later told the Philippians that he, “press[ed] on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus“. There was something that was motivating him – the eternal promises of God, and the love of Christ – it wasn’t just about checking off a list of achievements!

Biblical Goal Setting

Ephesians 4:25-32: A Model Of Biblical Goal Setting

If we were to go through the Bible and examine all of the key commands and admonishments, and take a look at the promises or even logical reasoning and motivations for them, this article would turn into book; so instead, I want us to look at one passage of Scripture to see how our behavior (in essence, our goals) should be directly tied to a strong and godly motivation.

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:25-32

In Ephesians 4:25-32, we are given a list of God’s goals for our lives. Even the specific motivations given for these goals have at their foundation a deeper goal – to “not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…” (verse 30). In an overall sense, we are to do this by following what is laid out in Ephesians 4:22-24 – that we should “lay aside the old self”, be renewed in our way of thinking, and then put on a new way of living (the entire second half of the book of Ephesians is about our walk – how we conduct ourselves in the world). These 3 steps provide us with an outline for our worthy walk (verse 1).

So in each of these commands (in verses 25-32), we are admonished to stop doing something, replace that sinful behavior with something else, and then we are given the reason or motivation for this change. So we can see from this list of imperatives that the motivation is just as, or perhaps even more, important than the actual goal.

We will look at each one of these briefly to show why and how we can make these goals a part of what we’re trying to accomplish in our lives, as well as applying this way of thinking and living to all goals that we want to set:

Goal #1 – Being Truthful (Eph. 4:25)

Truth Newspaper

The Sin To Put Off – Therefore, laying aside falsehood

The Virtue To Put On – Speak truth each one of you with his neighbor

Our Motivation – For we are members of one another

Here we are given the command to lay aside falsehood. Not only does this refer to outright lying, but it also speaks of deceitful motives and actions (making false excuses, breaking promises, etc). Every day our goal needs to be putting off lying and all sorts of falsehood.

The great thing about this section is that we are not simply given a command and then left to figure the rest out on our own. Paul next instructs us to speak the truth with our neighbors (cf. Zechariah 8:16-17). By practicing being truthful, we will be in a better position to overcome the temptation to lie when it comes around. We can more easily put this sin to death because we are now practicing godly behavior in its place!

Of course we are not able to do any of this without the power of God working within us (cf. Eph. 1:19-20, 3:20), but that is beyond the scope of this article.

So after Paul gives us the command to stop being deceitful, and then encourages us to replace that with the characteristic of being consistently truthful, he then shows us why we need to do this. The motivation for these goals is the fact that “we are members of one another“. Now, we can’t unpack all that this means here, but it is enough to say that we are all members of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12), we are called to love each other (1 John 3:11-5:4), and we have all been adopted into the family of God (Romans 8:12-17).

So, our goal is the laying aside the old man’s sinful propensity to lie and putting on the character of truthfulness. This is to be motivated by the fact that we are now members of one another, through Christ, and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish this.

Goal #2 – Dealing With Anger In A Biblical Manner (Eph. 4:26-27)

Angry Cartoon Dog

The Sin To Put Off – Sinful Anger (or allowing righteous anger to lead to sin)

The Virtue To Put On – Examining the reasons behind your anger, and getting things right (immediately)

Our Motivation – Do not give the devil an opportunity

It would seem here that Paul is making the case for a righteous anger – hating immorality, injustice, blasphemy, and and sin in general – as Jesus did (cf. Matthew 21:12, Mark 3:5, and John 2:15 – note that the temple cleansings recorded here are 2 separate events [John at the beginning & Matthew at the end of His earthly ministry], which indicates that this wasn’t just a rash reaction). Again, this one verse can (and should) take up and entire sermon, so we don’t have room to exegete every detail. But I’ll share a few of my observations…

First, even if this is discussing righteous anger (sometimes referred to as righteous indignation), the verse still indicates that even righteous anger can lead to sin and bitterness, and needs to be dealt with in the proper way once it is identified. The second thing to note is that if righteous anger can lead to bitterness, then it’s a given that unrighteous anger (that which comes from impatience, discontentment, pride, or a lack of faith among other things) can lead to bitterness and other kinds of sin if it isn’t confessed and put to death immediately. In either case, we are simply told that we are not to sin in response to our anger.

Instead of allowing our anger to lead to sin, we are to deal with the issue and get it right as soon as possible. If you become angry with a person, then you are to work things out with them as soon as you are physically able. Even if you are not able to before the literal setting of the sun, you are to forgive them (in your heart) as soon as possible, and then work through it with them whenever time allows. Allowing anger to go unchecked will cause bitterness to settle in your heart and lead to all kinds of sin (Hebrews 12:15).

By examining our heart for unchecked anger (and even frustrations) and attempting to get those things right as soon as possible, we will avoid “giv[ing] the devil an opportunity”. This literally means to not give the devil “a place” (it’s translated “leave room” [NASB] in Romans 12:19), and I think it really shows just how subtle he can be when our anger is not dealt with biblically and immediately. When we don’t follow this command, we are actually giving the devil a place from which he can more easily entice us to sin.

So, our goal is to be sure that we handle both righteous and unrighteous anger in a biblical manner. We do this by constantly examining our reactions and our heart to ensure that any anger is dealt with immediately. We do this because we are motivated by the fact that not doing so will give the devil “a place” or “an opportunity” to tempt us to sin.

Goal #3 – Working With Integrity (Eph. 4:28)

Hard Work

The Sin To Put Off – Stealing

The Virtue To Put On – Hard Work

Our Motivation – So that [you] will have something to share with one who has need

The command here is pretty simple, “he who steals must steal no longer“! Stealing here refers to the act of taking anything that doesn’t belong to you. It doesn’t just mean physical possessions, but can extend to time, money (many do this by not working as hard as they should for their employer), mismanaging something over which you were made a steward, and countless other areas. God is very clear and direct about this…if you are stealing in any form, stop it!

Instead of stealing to provide for ourselves and our families, we are to engage ourselves in honest, hard work. Hard work is the primary means by which we are to support ourselves (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 esp. 10, and 1 Timothy 5:8), and it is the perfect way to put off the temptation to steal. Stealing really does show a lack of faith in God’s ability to provide, and it is something that we all need to root out of our lives. Just because you aren’t taking clothes from the local department store doesn’t mean you aren’t stealing.

Even though we talked about hard work being the primary means by which we are to support ourselves, God gives us another motivation for making this a goal: We are to work hard so that we will have something to share with one who has need! We saw this type of attitude at work when the church was first being established (Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-37, 20:33-35), and it is how we are to be toward each other today (cf. 1 Timothy 5:3-16 esp. 9-16).

I am sure that hard work is a part of many goals/resolutions this year, but we should really dig deep and ask ourselves what the motivation is behind that goal. Do we just want to be rich so we can feel secure (1 Timothy 6:17-19, Matthew 6:33)? Are we seeking wealth because we think it (or what we can buy) will make us happy (Mark 8:36-37)? Are we trying to work hard for a promotion so that men will esteem us because of our title/position (Galatians 1:10)?

So even as we evaluate a noble goal such as working hard and refusing to steal, we have to make sure that part of our motivation (see Eph. 6:5-8 for another part) ought to be the fact that we want to have something to share with one who has need. Our love for Christ and our brothers & sisters should be what propels us to strive in this area daily.

Goal #4 – Godly Communication (Eph. 4:29)

Communication

The Sin To Put Off – Unwholesome Speech

The Virtue To Put On – Wise & Edifying Conversation

Our Motivation – So that it will give grace to those who hear

Now Paul moves on to our speech. The command is that we not let any “unwholesome” words come our of our mouths. The Greek word for “unwholesome” literally means “rotten” or “foul”, and gives the idea of spoiled, putrid meat. As Christians, we are not to allow these rotten, corrupt words come out of our mouths. In Matthew 15:18-19, Jesus said…

“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

This shows us that the things that come out of our mouths are an accurate representation of what is going on in our hearts! James 3:6 tells us that the tongue “…defiles the entire body“. The fact that we now have a new heart means that these evil, corrupt, rotten words should not so easily come out of the mouths of Christians (cf. James 3:3-12, esp. 9-12).

Instead of the rotten or foul speech that was a part of our “old man” (Colossians 3:5-8), our goal should be the consistent use of edifying words (words that build others up). Our speech should be characterized by encouraging, helpful, instructive, beneficial words – this should be true even when we must point out sin or correct wrong thinking/doctrine (Proverbs 15:23, 25:11-12).

The motivation that we are given for changing our speech is the benefit that it will provide to others. Paul says that we are to cultivate a heart and tongue that works to edify, “so that it [our speech] will give grace to those who hear“. The idea of our speech being graceful calls to mind the command found in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person“.

The fact that we now have the power to put on the new man, and speak words that can minister grace to others should motivate our goal to put away unwholesome words and instead, edify one another.

So again we are given a command/goal of putting off and putting on, and we are also given a motivation for that goal. This time, the way in which we communicate with others is in view.

A Summary Of Our Goals/Commands (Eph. 4:31-32)

Paul then gives a summary of all the changes that occur once we are rescued from the kingdom of darkness (Eph. 2:1-7). He first mentions all of the things we are to put aside, then he lists the things we should do. Instead of just firing off a list of commands, he gets more at the root of what causes the actions he mentioned earlier:

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:31-32

These are things that can be the underlying cause of some of the sins which he gave more attention in the previous verses. So the goal to avoid all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice should lead to putting off falsehood, sinful anger, stealing, and unwholesome words. The same is true with being kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving others as God has forgiven us.

We are given an underlying motivation for not only this summary section, but all of the commands/goals listed in the larger section: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” ~Ephesians 4:30

Our ultimate motivation for putting off these sinful behaviors is the fact that the Holy Spirit of God will be grieved if we don’t. So, on top of all the other motivation that we are given here, knowing that the Holy Spirit will be grieved when we continue in the sinful behaviors from which we have been saved and freed, is what should cause us to put these sins to death!

Following A Biblical Model For Setting Goals

Setting Goals

In this passage we see a wonderful model for setting goals. Not only is the end result important, but we also need to make sure that we have a godly motivation.

Having A Biblical Motivation

Of course, these and other biblical goals should come first and we should be motivated by all of the exhortations, promises, and warnings found in scripture. We aren’t just following a list of dos and don’ts, trying to earn favor with men or even God by doing certain things, but we are actually “work[ing] out our salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:12. We are compelled by the love of Christ to live out the faith which is within us.

We are told to, “be holy, for [God] is holy” (1 Peter 1:16), and we are even exhorted to let our focus on the future promises of God impact our behavior/mindset here on earth (2 Peter 3:10-18). Motivation is everything to God. He looks at the heart, rather than the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7), which is why being merely a hearer of the word is useless, and even sinful (James 1:22-27).

Examining Our Hearts Is The Key: Seeking To Glorify God

Before we set any goal, we need to examine our heart and our motives to ensure that we are seeking to honor God. If your goal is to lose weight, make sure you are doing it to honor God with your body (which is really His – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), rather than to turn heads when you walk down the street.

If your goal is to save money, check your heart to make sure that you are not looking to a huge savings account or wealth in general to provide you with security, but that instead you gain your motivation from the command found in 1 Timothy 6:17-19!

There are many other common goals that we may set for ourselves, but when we examine our motivation, very little (if any of it) has to do with bringing glory to God. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:31, that everything we do, no matter how mundane, should be done in order to bring glory to God:

Whether, then, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

If our goals and motivations do not line up with this principle, then we need to do some serious heart-searching and prayer in order to get our goal in line with God’s will. Setting goals, no matter how noble and praise-worthy from a human standpoint, can easily be worthless at best, or even sinful in God’s eyes.

Reader Questions:

  1. How easy do you find it to set goals without considering God’s will?
  2. Why is it so rare to find the type of godly goals mentioned here or in other passages, in our own list of goals/resolutions?
  3. How often do you examine your goals to see if your motivation is godly or just a part of you seeking your own glory?