WHO NEEDS FINANCIAL GOALS? YOU DO!

Planning is an essential element for any financial program, but it is particularly important for Christians. God is an orderly provider and expects us to be the same. Finances are just another aspect of the Christian's life that God wants to manage.

The best way to establish goals, and ultimately to carry out and achieve goals, is to write them down after prayerful consideration.

Short-range goals:

Strive for excellence. God wants us, as Christians, to excel at whatever we do, to the best of our ability. Too often Christians rationalize that it is in God's plan to be second best. Thus, they always hang back, never really achieving their potential for fear others will think them egotistical. In all that you do you should strive for excellence - in the workplace, in the home, as you model your attitudes and behaviors to your children and co-workers.

Limit credit or curtail the use of credit. Stay current with all your accounts and don't make a purchase unless you have the cash.

Set your own goals in relation to what God asks you to do, not what your neighbor asks you to do. It is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of someone else's schemes. The result is often a costly financial education.

Work to honor God. Every Christian should stop to assess whether his/her business always exemplifies the Christian life and if his/her actions are a witness to Christ.

Establish a sharing plan. Have you made a material testimony to a spiritual commitment? Do you tithe?

Long-range goals:

Set a maximum goal. Think in terms of striving for provision rather than storing for protection. It is possible that God has asked some Christians to store up for the future needs of others. (Is your attitude one of hoarding or sharing?)

Assess God's plan for the surplus He supplies. Do you purchase things for your children instead of spending time with them? If you have money stored and God lays a need on you, do you readily give it? Are you more attentive to tax laws than to God's calling?

Obey God's principles. Make honesty the foundation for your financial dealings. If you employ others, consider their welfare. Always look for ways to help others.

Develop a family plan. God cares about the house you live in, the car you drive, where you work, your children's college, even the food you eat. Have you ever prayed over those things? If you have not, how can you expect to determine what God's will is for your family?

From Your Finances in Changing Times by Larry Burkett. Copyright (c) 1975 (Moody Press revised edition, 1993) by Christian Financial Concepts. Used by permission of Moody Press, Chicago, Ill., 1-800-678-6928.

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