A lot. Jesus talked about money more than heaven and hell combined, because how you handle money shows what you really love.
Here's the heart of it: "True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth" (1 Timothy 6:6 NLT). And "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10 NLT). Money isn't evil. Loving it is. Jesus said, "You cannot serve God and money" (Matthew 6:24 ESV). One of them is going to be in charge.
I'm no financial planner and no money expert. But years ago, sitting around a fire with some friends, I heard one of them mention he was putting $50,000 a month into one retirement account. It took everything in me not to fall out of my chair. That night I realized how clueless I was. So here are some of the biggest mistakes I've learned to avoid since then.
1. We don't know what's healthy, so we don't know if we're healthy
A doctor checks your numbers. Do you know yours? What are your top five spending categories? Early in our marriage, I found out about 20% of our budget was going to eating out. We were spending more on restaurants than rent. Numbers don't lie. You need to know your numbers.
2. We compete and compare more than we plan and prepare
Your neighborhood and friend group are high school all over again. We spend money to be included, to fix insecurity, or to make the pain go away. If you live to impress others, you'll spend yourself into poverty. Choose to be wealthy instead of looking wealthy, and remember that contentment is where wealth starts.
3. We look inward instead of asking for help
"In the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14 NKJV). You don't have to be a money expert. You just have to be humble enough to know what you don't know. Read a book, find someone ahead of you, or talk to a financial planner.
4. We all experience pain, but only some of us choose the right pain
Every financial decision causes pain, deflects pain or delays pain. Choose the short-term pain (skip the vacation you'd have to finance) over the long-term pain (working until you're 80). "Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time" (Proverbs 13:11 NLT).
5. We invest too much in what's temporary and too little in what's eternal
"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them... Store your treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:19–20 NLT). The best place to invest isn't an IRA or a 401(k). It's heaven.
At the end of the day, Jesus asks, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36 ESV). You weren't born to live for financial success. You were born to love Jesus and lead others to Him.
Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6–10, 17–19; Matthew 6:19–24; Proverbs 11:14; 13:11; Mark 8:36–37