Today one of the biggest sources of conflict in marriage is money. That is because a husband and wife often have opposite ideas about how it ought to be used. Stop and consider the words ‘delayed gratification’. When one spouse is willing to delay purchasing something until their financial house is in order, but the other one isn’t, the battle lines begin to form. Another disagreement that can arise is deciding when, and for what, credit should be obtained. This is treacherous territory. Nothing irritates a disciplined, thrifty person more than living with someone who wastes their income and their future earnings on things that aren’t truly needed. Another potential minefield in marriage for many of us is deciding when and how much to give to our children. Because we love them so much, we want life to be easier and better for them growing up than it was for us. But it takes a steady hand to hold a full cup. The Bible clearly teaches the virtues of hard work, living frugally, saving, building, and producing by the sweat of our brows. And if our children don’t learn these virtues the right way – while they’re living in our home – there is a good chance they will learn them the hard way – while building their own home. So here is some good advice: stay out of debt as much as possible and be extremely cautious with credit cards. Their misuse can weaken your family’s stability and future. Indeed, credit cards should be labelled, ‘Danger! Handle with care!’ Jesus put it this way: ‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own’ (Luke 12:15 NLT).
