Financial Counseling

QUESTION: What are the benefits of financial counseling?

ANSWER:

One good way to gain the sound knowledge needed to manage your resources wisely is through financial counseling. Having money comes with responsibility no matter your level of income. The ever-changing economy creates a growing need for good information, and that information may be the key to managing your finances. Good information is acquired by seeking counsel that is in line with a Godly viewpoint rather than a worldly one. Knowing how to use money rather than allowing money to use you is a skill that is often gained through trial and error. However, financial counseling can be used to preclude that wasted time.

Jesus told a parable about a householder giving his servants "talents" (Matthew 25:14-30). The amount was different in each case. One servant received five talents, another servant two, while the last servant only received one. Each of these servants then chose how they managed the master's resources that had been entrusted to them while he was away. When the master of the house came back each of the servants gave an account of how they managed their master's talents. The indication here is that two of these men either possessed good stewardship skills, or they sought the benefit of financial counseling. The one with one talent did not do well at all. He did not lose what he had but did not gain from it either.

There is an inherent idea in this story that is foreign to the world’s way of reckoning. The talents did not belong to the servants but rather to the master, and they were just managing those talents until that master returned. One truth that is gleamed from this parable is that everything we have in this life has been given to us to manage. We have a choice in how we manage what we have been given, and it is only common sense that we should learn good stewardship practices through financial counseling. Of course, this principle not only can be applied to our financial resources, but other aspects of our lives as well, such as our time, gifts, and talents.

Therefore, stewardship is inherent to a Godly understanding of wise money management. That means that money is a means to a goal while not being the goal itself. King Solomon wrote proverbs of great worth and left them to his son and to all who would seek wisdom. Solomon advises all who listen to seek out Godly advice, while also sharing much practical advice concerning the use of money, such as not being a guarantor or cosigning for another's debt (Proverbs 6:1-5).

In Proverbs 6:6-8, Solomon notes the ways of the ant, which serve as a great illustration of stewardship evidenced through their hard work and storing for the future. Financial counseling can help those who choose this wise undertaking to be faithful stewards of the blessings that God has entrusted to us in this life.