The end of 2009 is nigh; not soon enough for those wishing away these last few weeks of one of the worst financial years in the last few decades.  The whole country has been drenched in the conversation, we’ve even come to realise that spending money we don’t have may not be such a good thing after all…not sure who convinced us otherwise??

So we go into 2010 wiser, determined to clear our debts and save, possibly by stashing money under the bed until the financial institutions earn back our trust. We’ve cut back, consolidated, learnt the value of money and have never been more aware that we need to save for rainy days.  It’s fair to say that this year we’ve been educated in economics and not just from the 6 o’clock news.  The pulpit has given us wide coverage on the subject also, allowing us to balance our money and our faith.

Despite the vast amount of discussion and teaching on the matter there is a danger that we neglect to ask one more important question: how much should we save?  It seems second nature to store money away whether it’s for a deposit on a house, education, a holiday or the aforementioned rainy days but what does the bible say about savings?  How do we balance saving and meeting the needs of the poor?  At what point does saving and investing become hoarding?  Does having a surplus ever limit our ability to deepen our faith and trust God to provide?

Would Jesus ever have an ISA?

Post Written by Juls Hollidge