Jesus talked quite a bit about money, so it follows that Christ-honoring parents need to instruct their children on this topic.
As with everything else you teach your kids, the starting point is your own understanding, and then your actions based on that understanding.
What do you believe about money? Is it evil? Is it good? How much of it should Christians have? A little? A lot? How should we manage it?
Jesus said this:
“I tell you,use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” –Luke 16:9-13
So Jesus is saying:
- Money can be used positively
- We should be smart and honest with what we’ve been entrusted with
- Handling money well is a prerequisite for gaining spiritual “wealth”
- We must keep God on the throne of our hearts, not money
To bring this down to simple basics for even very young children, begin by paying them something for special jobs they do.
I’m not talking about paying them for doing ordinary chores, which is a way to serve others.
Nor am I a fan of allowances. Earning income is an important thing for children to learn early in life.
When your kids reach adulthood, it’s unlikely they will get handouts just for taking up space on the planet (and they shouldn’t). They’ll need to put effort into creating income.
So once your child has earned some money, teach the three basic things believers do with income:
1. Give – to your church, other ministries, those in need
2. Save – for special purchases, for the future, i.e. education
3. Spend – it’s okay to have some things!
There’s a great little tool developed by Larry Burkett here: https://www.amazon.com/My-Giving-Bank-Faith-Kid.
A visual like this helps kids understand the three categories believers always think about with regard to money.
First, teach your children to give at least ten percent of what they earn to church and/or related ministries. When this habit is established at a young age, it’s easy to continue it for life.
As their faith grows, you can teach your kids about special offerings beyond the first ten percent, and how this pleases God.
(Now there’s a couple of fantastic Bible words to teach: sacrifice and sacrificial giving.)
Next, teach your children to think about the future and to put some money aside for later. Help your child work and save toward something special he or she really wants.
This teaches delayed gratification. It develops the needed character qualities of patience and diligence in your child so he or she can be wise about the future.
Finally, teach your kids it’s okay to spend some income on themselves.
Christians should be known for their generosity, but also for their enjoyment of life and their gratitude to God for his good gifts.
Exercise faith together with your child, and pray for the things you really desire as a family. Watch God answer, and rejoice together!
Money isn’t evil; it just needs to be under control. Teach your kids to give, save, and spend — and to give thanks.
