Are you a Good Money Manager?



I really like this biblical story about the bags of gold that were entrusted by the master to his servants. Watch this video:

The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

¹⁴ “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants^[a] and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,^[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷ So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸ But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.^[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²² And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

What have you learned after watching the video? :)

Have you ever experienced a point in your life where you've lost a huge amount of money, say, getting bankrupt? Being in a bad debt? Losing all your savings? Being robbed? Failed in business? Scammed? Do you like to spend too much on unnecessary things?

During that time that you've lost your money from any of those circumstances, what did you feel? Angry? Lost? Regretful? Did you blame anyone for the money you've lost?

Was there also a time in your life that you've had so much money and you felt like you never wanted to lose it? What did you do with it?

In my previous blog about my financial journey, I've shared that I've lost almost half a million of hard earned money when I started a business and failed. I've always been "kuripot" especially to myself, I rarely buy stuffs because I like borrowing from my sister (hehehe :D) so I thought I was a good money steward for being thrifty. But it was also a time when I badly wanted to become financially free, I spent so much time doing business. To succeed in my career and finances had been my priority so when that happened, I came to a point in my life asking God, "WHY? "Why did I have to lose that hard earned money?" 

I felt so down, I felt like a complete failure, I felt ashamed for taking too much control of my life that I forgot about the one who had given me all the blessings in life. 

But you know, during those times, this is one of the most important lesson that God taught me, He told me, "Feona, I have to strip you away of everything so that you'll know what it feels like to have nothing. So that when you have nothing, you will have me."

God stripped me of the sense of "Entitlement."


Because every thing we have belongs to God. And our God is a JEALOUS God. :) 

When we worked hard for something, we feel the sense of "OWNERSHIP" over it, be it for a paycheck, a commission, whatever result of hard work, we always think"THIS IS MINE because I worked hard for it!" But the truth is, we don't own anything in this world. Everything belongs to God -- even our material possessions, you car, your house, and even your life insurance! 

See what Jesus did in Matthew 25? He tells us the story of a master who gave money to the three servants. One servant did a bad job in managing the money that he has been given so God took away his money and gave it to the other servant who has been diligent in taking care of his finances.

Whatever we own in this earth is God's blessing, therefore, what we do with it is important to Him. Our money belongs to God and he trusts us to manage what we are given because we are stewards of His blessings. We can prove ourselves to be trustworthy when we properly manage our finances, and when we do, He will trust us with more.

If God were to take a look at your finances today, would He see you as a faithful money manager? :)