Cents and Sensibility: Act Your Wage

Money is the root of all evils” the good book points this out so clearly, but money, when managed well, can be the root of so many good things. Money is a very sensitive issue and whenever the subject of money is brought up, people become very secretive, put their guards up, and want to avoid this topic altogether. Next to infidelity, money is the second factor that contributes to marital problems and makes relationships falter. Even most churches today avoid preaching about this subject.

When I got saved last year, I thought that salvation was all about fasting, prayer and reading the bible, until my shepherd pointed out to me during a 10 week “plug in” training, that one of things required of us Christians is that we be good stewards. “And how must I, pray tell, become a good steward?” I asked him. He said that I have to learn how to manage my money and not let it manage me, become its master that is. “Cliché”, I thought.

But truth be told, most of us do not know how to manage our income, we don’t have a very clear picture as to how, as Christians, we should manage the resources we have. So, how do we become good stewards? There are two principles behind good stewardship: the ownership principle and the management principle.

1. The Ownership Principle: we need to remember that everything we own is not ours, it all belongs to God. The money, the cars, bikes, houses, our spouses, etc they are not our own, they all belong to God. God is the source of all our wealth and we need to manage these resources in a Godly manner. We need to be good stewards by treating money with respect, investing it wisely and using it to accomplish God’s purpose. We need to be diligent in how to administer the resources we have been given. Most importantly, we need to remember that work is the only God ordained means for contributing towards the society, so whatever work you have, do it diligently, as if doing it for God.
2. The Management principle: A story is told of a boy who was sitting with his grandfather and in excitement, he started telling his grandfather how he wanted to work hard in school so that he could get an A in his K.C.P.E.

“And then what will you do after that?” his grandfather asked

“And then I will go to a good high school and work harder and pass my K.C.S.E”

“And then?” he asked

“And then I will join university, study medicine and become a doctor”

“And then?”

“And then I will establish my own practice and make lots of money”

“And then?”

“And then I will marry a beautiful woman and have many kids grandpa”

“And then?”

“And then I will build a big house and make other lots of money”

“And then?

” And then I will take them to good schools and make sure they are prosperous”

“And then?”

“And then of course I will become as old as you grandpa” he replied elated, thinking the conversation was over. Then the grandfather asked him “and then?”

Disturbed the boy looked at his grandfather and in an upset manner said “and then I will die?”

Most of us live like this young boy- blindly, thinking that life is all about ourselves and acquiring things, and using our resources without a clear plan- Living without having a vision. The management principle involves 3 things: discovery, design, doing it.

Discovery

Discovery answers the question why you have been blessed with all the resources you have and what you need to do with them. You need to live and use your resources with a clear plan, have a vision in your life. Do you have a God-given vision? What were you called to do- something bigger than yourself? Forget your spouse and daily responsibilities; have you ever discovered the responsibility that God has called you for? Is your money serving your God-given responsibility? Each of us has a unique calling and we should do everything to fulfill it. Money is the tool that we should use to accomplish our God-given vision. Discover why God has given you these resources and what he wants you to do with it. When you are faithful with a little, and follow God’s lead in managing the little you have, then he will trust you with much more. Money must be a servant for your God-given responsibility.

Most of us, when looking for a job, or when evaluating two positions, we tend to have salary as the first determinant of whether we should take up a position or not. Most of us tend to jump at the job that pays loads of money-its true right? Even in this strained economy, when jobs are hard to find and there is a crazy inflation rate on almost everything, Salary, when evaluating a position, should be the sixth thing to be considered. I know at this point most of you want to strangle me, please don’t, I am just but a messenger. Anyway, the things one should consider before taking up a job are:

1. Your own vision and principles: ask yourself, is this job in line with my values or will this job compromise everything I stand for? Many people are in well-paying jobs but what they do compromise their values.

2. Impact: will the job give you a sense of impact? Is it something that you could do even if you are not paid? Does it energize you when doing it, that every morning you wake up you are psyched to go to work or do you do it for job’s sake and just to pay bills? Does it enable you to make an impact in someone’s life and to influence you?

3. Non negotiable relationships: evaluate whether the job will compromise your non negotiable relationships;  yourself, your family, and time with God. Does the job eat into your time that you don’t have time to relate with God, to rest and eat healthy and to spend time with your family?

4. Toxicity: is the job toxic? Choose an organization that you will develop a good relationship with and not one that will make you feel burdened and make you carry life long wounds because of the negative situations in the workplace as well as with the kind of job you are doing.

5. Career growth: Don’t just take any job; take up a job that will enable you to have a career growth. Take up a job that will allow you to pursue your higher education, and one that will make you grow in every aspect.

6. Salary: of course you need to get a good salary, negotiate for a good salary and then use it wisely.

Design

Design answers the question what goals have you put in place and what budget you have in place to fulfill your purpose. God gives us different responsibilities at different times. There are short-term, medium term and long-term responsibilities, and you have to design realistic goals for each of these responsibilities, and then lay a budget alongside these goals. Budgeting is very important and as Christians, there are core things that should be in your budget system. A budget is very useful tools that will help you act your wage and will help you figure out what exactly you will do with your money.

When designing a budget, one should do it based on the percentage principle. In the percentage principle, there are 6 people you need to pay:

1. The government: Our “good” government relies on tax payers money to be able to provide “high quality” services to its citizens, to be able to run the country efficiently and put up structures that prevent national disasters like drought, and to be able to pay our able-bodied ministers and God knows our ministers need to be paid well so that they can serve their constituencies efficiently! My point is we need to pay our taxes, especially those of us who run businesses, since those who are employed are deducted taxes from the source. Give Caesar what it is that belongs to Caesar, that’s what is required of us.

2. Tithe: 10% of our gross salary should go to God. It is the least that God requires of us for God’s work to continue. Tithe faithfully. As the year goes by, make a commitment to grow your tithe, by whatever percentage you choose. (read Colgate’s story)

3. Vision: set aside 5% to support your unique God-given vision. You don’t have to wait for initiatives like the Kenyans for Kenyans initiative to start-up in order for you to act, start acting now. Identify your God-given vision and every month; contribute 5% of your income towards this vision. Helping others is one of the greatest investments you can ever make.

4. Yourself: You need to pay yourself. One, set aside 10% of your incomes for your retirement plan- yes your retirement plan. Start saving now, it’s never too late to plan for your retirement plan. Two, set aside 10% for saving’s purposes, that money that you are saving for future engagements: family, education, etc. SAVE.  Most people make the mistake of saying they will start saving when they earn more, then one day they wake up and realize they had more when they were earning less, since responsibilities at that time would have increased tremendously. So start saving now. When you save, you are paying yourself. When you spend, you are enriching others so, SAVE! Even the bible says lack of savings amounts to foolishness. Pay yourself, you earned it. Thirdly, 10% should go to risk management Have an insurance, be it life, or medical that will ensure that you are well taken care of and that you don’t spend out of your pocket when something goes wrong.

5. Others; most ‘financialists’ agree that you need to live on 60% of your income and below. Your rent, utilities payment, debts repayment plan, and lifestyle should be accounted for in this 60%. If you live on more than 60%, then you are living beyond your means. ACT YOUR WAGE! Don’t live blind.

Do it

Once you have made these plans, make sure you follow through. And trust me, God will entrust you so much more that you will not believe it.