What the Bible Says About Saving

There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up.
–Proverbs 21:20

As Christians, we need to put money in the proper perspective. First of all, as I mentioned yesterday, we should appreciate money without worshiping it. Money can be used for good without taking God’s place in our lives.

Second, we should save money without hoarding it. In Ecclesiastes 5:13, Solomon wrote, “There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt.” Hoarding is trying to stockpile money because we think that’s where our security lies, but what we’re really stockpiling is more worry and stress.

The Bible says we aren’t to hoard money, but we are to save wisely for four purposes:

1. To provide for our future needs. Proverbs 6:6–8 says that even ants prepare for the future. We are to set aside some of our money for future needs.
2. To provide for our families. A growing number of adults are part of the sandwich generation–they’re caught between aging parents who need assistance and children who still depend on them. Having loved ones to provide for is a reality of life, and God has commanded us to take care of our families (1 Timothy 5:8).
3. To protect against adversity. What would you do if you had a costly emergency? You might say, “I would trust in God to provide for my needs.” There’s nothing wrong with that answer. But how does God provide for us in difficult times? Sometimes He works miraculously or uses other people. But He also gave us a plan in His Word for protecting against adversity, and that is to save for the future. Look at Joseph in Genesis 41. When God revealed that a famine was coming, Joseph told Pharaoh to start storing a percentage of the harvest, so the Egyptians would have food during the famine. Saving is God’s plan to guard against adversity.
4. To fund future ministry needs. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul told the Corinthians to start setting aside money for an offering he was going to collect. We are to save now so that when God presents an opportunity, we have money to give. Saving allows us to be generous givers.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Moving from Materialism to Contentment,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.