Why am I frugal?

"For everything in heaven and earth are yours. Yours, oh Lord, is the Kingdom. You are exalted as head over all." 1 Chronicles 29:11

It happened again this weekend. Someone asked me why I worry about money so much. My initial response is how rude. I don't go around asking people why they waste so much money.  However, I feel the need to explain my thoughts on this. After listening to my logic, you may say I am all wet, but please just let me and my family live like we choose. Or you may say I have a good point. If that is the case, I urge you to join the frugal bandwagon. It is a great and freeing way to live.

I don't think I have actually worried about money in the last 20 years. What is often misunderstood as worry is actually - care. I care about money. I care about where the money the Lord has allowed me to decide how I will use on this earth is used. Worry would mean I didn't think I had enough. I didn't think I would be able to pay for my heat, home, food, medicine, retirement etc. Quite the opposite is true. I don't have to worry about money because I care for the money I have. The Lord has put on my heart that he has a greater use for this money than Starbucks , Ugg boots, or designer pursees. I get really excited for the future to see how He will use this money.

The argument started over Keurig coffee machines. I think Keurigs are a fantastic idea. For people who only want to brew 1 or 2 cups at a time it a great way to save. If I brew a pot of coffee at home ( 6 cups) it comes to $.04 per cup. If I brew a cup of Keurig and buy my K cups at Sam's it is $.50. So people say fill your own K cup. Well, those take quite a bit of coffee to fill to make your coffee strong enough. I know from experience you cannot use Folger's. So you can get your price down to $.30. You get the idea. They couldn't believe that I didn't have a Keurig. Anyway, the point is to be intentional. I have seen many that just have to have coffee shop coffee. I choose not to do this. Why? Because, over 1 year,  my family can easily save $500 on coffee. 

My family can support a Compassion Child for less than that. We can send one of our kids or ourselves on a mission trip every other year for that. We can help support a young student in the seminary  or a local food pantry. The possibilities are endless. Somebody's money is needed for many of the good works that the Lord asks Christians to do. 

I  also have great compassion for those that do have difficulty paying those bills. To "keep up with the Joneses" is a burden created by peers. I believe we shouldn't make people feel like they are missing out by not consuming the latest trends, we should be emulating those that refuse to be swayed by Madison Avenue. 

I often hear Christians claim that they will not drink alcohol because it is a stumbling block for those that have trouble with alcohol, yet they rarely think about spending as a stumbling block. Most people make unneccesary purchases because someone they know has purchased that item. The  "I have to have that" mentality is the goal of advertising and they have plenty of consumers that will urge their neighbors to covet these items without paying them anything. 

Maybe that could be some people's New Year's Resolution. Be intentional on where your money( God's money) goes this year. Think of your money as belonging to someone else's money.

"Whoever has been given much, will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who is given more." Luke 12:48