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TechnoratiLosing weight requires discipline. Curbing your spending requires discipline. Saying "no" to habitual borrowers also requires discipline. And discipline is what a disciple's life is all about. As disciples of Christ, we are to teach others what the Bible has taught us, and we are never to support - financially or otherwise - behavior that is contrary to the Scriptures.
We should not only refuse to participate or aid in financial irresponsibility, but we should also encourage, and live as examples of, intelligent management.
Our goal should never be to alleviate the momentary need, but to identify and assist in resolving the underlying problem. You may not know how to help someone change their spending habits, but you can point them to God's Word and to church staff and other Christian professionals who are trained to counsel people about their finances.
Before opening our wallets, we should first open our hearts and our minds. Look at the whole picture and decide whether handing out money will truly be helping or if it will be encouraging irresponsible behavior. Tough love includes knowing when it's time to say, "No."
This article was originally published on March 9, 2004.
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Judy Woodward Bates is a Christian speaker; author of "The Gospel Truth about Money Management"; and creator of Bargainomics(r), a Bible-based time and money management philosophy. Visit her website at: www.bargainomics.com.
