8 Types of Bible Verses About Saving Money
Here are 8 Biblical ways to save money and possessions:
- Put Saved Money in a Safe Place
- Save According To How Much You Earn
- Save by Accumulating Over Time
- Managing Your Stores
- Fearing God Leads to Wisdom to Save
- Be Diligent in Work
- Living Below Your Means
- Avoid Expensive Pleasures
Next we go into each topic in more detail.
1. Put Saved Money in a Safe Place
The idea of saving money would require putting it in a place where it could not be accessed easily. Do you have a savings account in your bank that you can create for saving a certain amount or percentage each time you get an income? You may ask your bank to add on another account just for that which can be linked to your income account. Consider setting limits for withdrawals on that account.
But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the LORD’s house; and the priests who kept the threshold put all the money that was brought into the LORD’s house into it. (2 Kings 12:9)
2. Saving Money According To How Much You Earn
Saving money will be easier when you have a system in place or a routine. You may want to create a budget of your expenses and then plan on a realistic amount to be saved from your income each month. Set aside a day of each month where you will save according to that plan.
On the first day of every week, let each one of you save as he may prosper, that no collections are made when I come. (1 Corinthians 16:2)
3. Saving Money by Accumulating Over Time
These Proverbs mean that you can accumulate little by little and over time, that can be a great amount. Also when you have plenty, you may consider saving that part more for latter times when you may not have as much income. In other words, every cent counts. So don’t be discouraged if you were not able to save the amount that you had planned, just save what you can, even if it is a small amount. What matters here is developing a habit of saving.
Get rich quick schemes always fail in the end. Those who accumulate wealth dishonestly or by luck do not know how to manage it. They will not be able to keep it for the long term.
- Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise; which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. (Proverbs 6:6-8)
- Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow. (Proverbs 13:11)
- The ants are not a strong people, yet they provide their food in the summer. (Proverbs 30:25)
4. Bible Verses About Managing Your Stores
After you have a savings account and system in place, you would need some management of the savings account, in the sense of checking the amount of interest the bank would provide and if there’s a better option elsewhere that could provide a higher rate of interest for your savings. For this, you would want a stable growth with low risk.
- He fortified the strongholds and put captains in them with stores of food, oil and wine. (2 Chronicles 11:11)
- You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. (Matthew 25:27)
- Then why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have earned interest on it? (Luke 19:23)
5. Fearing God Leads to Wisdom to Save
The Proverbs wrote that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Pray to God to provide you that wisdom as it said in the bible that God can give wisdom to those who asked Him for it. When you pray to God, you can experience his guidance and wisdom in your life for this matter.
It is not a guarantee when you fear God that you will get rich. As Jesus did mention that in this world we will have trouble. It is important to fear God regardless of any possible reward. When we fear God, we will choose to do the right thing and it will help protect us from making mistakes that we will regret.
- Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in his commandments. His offspring will be mighty in the land. The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house. His righteousness endures forever. (Psalm 112:1-3)
- For her good profit is better than getting silver, and her return is better than fine gold. (Proverbs 3:14)
- Length of days is in her right hand. In her left hand are riches and honor. (Proverbs 3:16)
- With me are riches, honor, enduring wealth, and prosperity. (Proverbs 8:18)
- My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, my yield than choice silver. (Proverbs 8:19)
- That I may give wealth to those who love me. I fill their treasuries. (Proverbs 8:21)
- The crown of the wise is their riches, but the folly of fools crowns them with folly. (Proverbs 14:24)
If this article is helpful, check out Bible Verses About Giving for related topics.
6. Bible Verses About Being Diligent in Work
The Bible extols hard work and being diligent. That requires discipline and pushing through when times get hard. Hard work and diligent work will help you shine at your workplace. As a result, you may get promoted or recognized, and with that it may bring more opportunities for growth. With more promotion and more opportunities for growth, your income will increase as a result, and so will your savings.
This is an encouraging point to those whose work is difficult to keep pressing on when you are still able to. This is also encouraging that if you don’t feel recognized or no one knows your hard work. Keep at it. If you keep doing good work, someone is going to notice.
- He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth. He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame. (Proverbs 10:4-5)
- He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding. (Proverbs 12:11)
- One who works his land will have an abundance of food; but one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. (Proverbs 28:19)
7. Save Money by Living Below Your Means
Living below your means that you should only buy things or pay for things that you can afford plus you will have margin left over at the end of the month. If you are struggling to make ends meet, try to find bargains at thrift stores/dollar shops, instead of somewhere that sells it at a higher price. Take a look at what you are spending by tracking your expenses, to help you get an awareness of what you are spending on. When you have tracked it, the next time, see if what you are paying for is below your means or if it is above your means.
For example, if you are trying to save money, and you need a face cream, try to look for a drug store type instead of high end products which is not sustainable for your income. Close your eyes and think of how much you would ideally spend on a meal that you will enjoy but yet feel guilt free. Write that number down. (i.e. If it is $4, you could go to Steak and Shake for 4 under $4, or you could buy some fresh vegetables).
- There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing. There are some who pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth. (Proverbs 13:7)
- Don’t work so hard that your health gets ruined, instead, restrain yourself from spending: Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint. (Proverbs 23:4)
- There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up. (Proverbs 21:20)
8. Bible Verses About Avoiding Expensive Pleasures
Advertisements these days come in the form of social media. When you see how glamorous, healthy or happy those people are when they used so and so product, you may think those things may be the thing you need in your life. These advertisements are deceptive in nature. Try to acquire a simple taste of simple things to bring pleasure in life.
Simple tastes = cheap or free.
Free pleasures are many around, you just need to explore them. Look at the public library near you, take a walk in the neighborhood, or create a game out of creating a delicious meal from your frozen food stores. Try drawing, singing, and simply smiling. You need to get your pleasures from simple things to prevent yourself from buying expensive things for pleasure.
- He who loves pleasure will be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil won’t be rich. (Proverbs 21:17)
- Servants, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money. (1 Timothy 3:8)
Further Reading
There are many more things that the bible says about money, including the correct perspective one should have of money. We need to remember that God is the source of all we have, our health, our ability to work, and our jobs. We need to thank Him for all the blessings he has already given us. There is a lot of uncertainty even if we manage to save up a lot of money. The point is not to put your trust in money but to put your trust in Jesus our Lord. This life is but temporary and so are our possessions. May you continue to walk in a way that will honor God with your possessions and understand that what is eternal are what matters most. For more on this topic, please read the next post.
There are also wrong ways of saving money, stay tuned for another post on that topic as well.
Bible version: the public domain World English Bible (WEB) has been used throughout this post. The WEB translation of "Yahweh" has been changed to "the LORD" which is more familiar to most readers.