Comments on: Would Jesus have an emergency fund

By: Ron Aragon

Ron Aragon — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:37:58 +0000

Here, here! Very well said! And, just to add another bit of wisdom, my mother always says, “a fool and his money are soon parted.” Save for that rainy day! It may flood whether you have flood insurance or not! Also, STOP what you’re doing and pay your bills with the “debt snowball” (Dave Ramsey), and remember, “when you find yourself in a financial hole — STOP digging!”

By: Saving Basics: Steps to Build An Emergency Fund « Motherhood on a Dime

Saving Basics: Steps to Build An Emergency Fund « Motherhood on a Dime — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:57:47 +0000

[...] Check your heart. It is wise to have an emergency fund, but are you trusting in it — thinking it will somehow insulate you from any problems instead of trusting in God? (This could easily be another post! For more on this topic, check out Would Jesus Have an Emergency Fund?) [...]

By: Change is Now

Change is Now — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:12:36 +0000

I just stumbled onto this site. Great site! I appreciate all of the comments as it leads to greater insight and growth. In particular, what Chris has contributed led me to share in the conversation. When we think in terms of “What would Jesus do?” we tend to think of what actions and choices he would make. We must be carful with this approach. Allow me to elaborate.
Consider what motivated Jesus. His thoughts lead to his actions. As human beings, we are always “being in the experience of” something…virtuous or, non-virtuous. Situations, circumstances and our own thoughts cause us to respond or “act out”. This is where we are driven by the “treasures of our hearts”. In him there was no sin, shortfall, impurity, malice or imperfection of any kind. In his “being human”, he was living from a place that we cannot really relate to. His thoughts were connected to the Father to the degree that he could say, “I and the Father are one” “if you have seen me then you have seen the Father” “it is not me that speaks to you but he that is in me”. What was he really meaning when he said such things? Is it possible that he had no “personal” agenda of his own? Was his only concern the agenda or “will of his Father”? If we maintain any other desires to experience things outside of what Jesus was focused on, then “what Jesus would do”, will not align with our doing (activity) because the motivations are different.

Early in his life he made it clear to his parents that he was to be about his Fathers business. He came into this world very differently than we did. According to the Bible, he was born as a result of the Holy Spirit coming upon a virgin. It is written that “He committed no sin, and, no deceit was found in his mouth.” No sin from his birth until his death.

What Jesus was able to do from the beginning is sometimes viewed as only possible because he was God in the “flesh”. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1)

This being the case, his purpose was also clear. “His planning” was a result of his purpose which as a restoration of all things unto the Father. Planning beyond this was not necessary as he was connected to and understood the source of all things. However, he was still tempted and had to overcome temptation as we all do and can. And, his “state of being” was perfect in all ways. He was completely “immersed and linked” to the source of all things. The mind of God was also his mind. That’s hard to imagine huh? Talk about a true connection, he was “clear” as to who he was.

Jesus was the demonstration for all mankind as to what is possible when we shed all of the worldly concerns and live as if the kingdom of God IS ALL THAT MATTERS.
That said, it is clear how “we” have been instructed to live in this world. We are in a state of being that is different from Jesus. Our “truth” is not his. In our “indoctrination into the world, we have accepted lies that keep us in bondage. We allow for the “unexpected” and surprises because of the difference in our “oneness with the Father”. If any man could one day attain a state of being that was in alignment with the Father as Jesus was, he would be able to do many things as Jesus did. This however, is not possible because of our fallen-sinful state but…Jesus made it clear that all things are possible with God. When I say fallen and sinful, I am meaning that we have allowed different belief’s to exist in us that represent lack and shortfalls. But, these exist because of the way we “think” things must happen. God has made every effort to tell us that “his ways are not our ways and to lean not to our own understanding”, but habit and behavior equal’s strongholds that keep us from what is really possible for us.

The question is, “What do we really have faith for?” What degree do we believe and rely on the source of all that is? This is where we are challenged to find the balance of alignment with God, through the Jesus demonstration of a perfected relationship with him. Unless we are willing to commit to all that Jesus has said in his many parables and words, “we” must plan. If we do not posses the understanding necessary to live as Jesus did, then we live within the understanding that is available to us. Yes, we can and want to grow but, who we are from 15 years old to 30 years of age is different due to awareness and understanding. This come from “seeking”, “finding”, “knocking” and doors opening revealing the truth of God through Jesus Christ. We live in limitation for various reasons but, we can live differently by having faith and allowing “no room for doubt”. This is what Jesus says can move a mountain and ANYONE believing and doubting not can do so. This is easier said than done. Seen any mountains moved by anyone lately. Knowing the truth is different from believing and living the truth in the moment.

By: Gearing up for an emergency | Randell Tiongson

Gearing up for an emergency | Randell Tiongson — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 06:32:06 +0000

[...] is an interesting thought: Would Jesus have an emergency fund? Read this LINK. This entry was posted in Money Management, financial planning and tagged emergency funds, [...]

By: JB

JB — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:04:20 +0000

Rebecca: There is a difference between helping those in need and enabling those who have willingly squandered what God has given them. Look at the wicked servant in the parable of the talents: The master not only reprimanded him, but gave his talent to the servant who had earned 5 talents. Helping someone who is temporarily down, who is living a God-centered life but has encountered a financial hurdle, or someone who is clearly destitute is both charitable and a judgment call; helping someone who blows their money gambling, paying for 600 channels instead of paying the light bill, or gets fired because they refuse to work is NOT charity: It is a failure to hold that person accountable for their actions. That’s enabling, and it’s not Christ-like in the slightest.
“Tough love” is not popular among the Christian church, in the same way that “discipline” is not a popular subject among “seeker-sensitive” churches: It doesn’t tickle the ears or make people feel all fuzzy inside. However, as both a recipient and a distributor of charity and tough love, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard” seems to apply in the situations you describe. Many take “Judge not, lest ye be judged” to a foolish level of “don’t ever judge anyone”- yet how are we exercising Spirit-filled, Bible-commanded discernment by blindly supporting people in their heroin addiction or laziness and gluttony?
As to an “emergency fund”- Jesus didn’t need one, true. As Ms. Ryder pointed out, there is a Biblical mandate to prepare for “known” times of need. That’s called “budgeting”. You KNOW the car will need tires this year, since you bought 40K-mile tires last year, and have put 35K on them so far. So you put away $50 a paycheck in expectation of buying new tires. That’s a budget line item. However, when the transmission blows out or a deer rams your car (note I didn’t say “you hit a deer”- the deer hit YOU, which makes a difference in the insurance world), you weren’t expecting it, and your monthly budget is now trashed because you didn’t PLAN for an emergency. An “Emergency Fund” is just that: A plan for an emergency. If emergencies didn’t happen, there would be no Emergency Rooms in hospitals. Yet they are there- in EVERY hospital. Why? Because “rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.”
Both the Bible and the Army taught me that failure to plan is a guaranteed plan to fail. Take this to its logical conclusion: If an emergency fund is unnecessary, then why have car insurance? Life insurance, sure. You’re biblically guaranteed to die. (“It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgment.”) However, the Bible doesn’t mention cars, so why pay for the “what if” of insuring them? Because God gave you the wisdom to KNOW that at some point, you are pretty likely to need car insurance. Same thing with emergency planning.
If we live in California, we buy earthquake insurance. If we work in a war-ridden area, our life insurance policies should NOT have an “Act of War” exclusion. As we live with a finite knowledge of events, but a definite knowledge that while we don’t control everything, we will have “emergencies”, the failure to steadily, slowly make preparations (ala Noah) for the emergency is a plan to spend a lot of time and energy…treading water. It’s not a lack of faith by any means: It’s the same reason we study for tests, read the Word, put antifreeze in our cars: The test WILL come. The spiritual battle WILL be fought. The heatwave WILL hit. And the emergency WILL show up. Sooner or later. Our not knowing the exact timing does not excuse us from using what God has given us to prepare for it, little by little. An emergency fund (in the spirit of the ant’s storing up food for winter) merely means the difference between an emergency being an explosive bank account catastrophe and a minor budgetary speedbump.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:44:36 +0000

These are all wonderful discussions. I definitely believe in giving to those in need – even though my husband and I struggle to keep our basic needs covered – and struggle to maintain even a small emergency fund. He and I seem to disagree about ‘who’ to help – everyone around us seems to be in need – especially close family members – but they do not always live by Godly principles and are in need because of having squandered their money or lost their jobs because of their poor work ethics and seem to make the same poor choices over and over. I totally understand giving and helping within the Christian community – am I being judgmental?

By: Katrina Ryder

Katrina Ryder — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:36:59 +0000

I have thought about this a lot and came across this discussion researching for a budget class I am teaching to women. My conviction has been that there are MANY scriptures exhorting believers to give sacrificially, often, immediately and continuously to those who we see in need. There are a SCANT few scriptures that refer to saving in any way, most of which caution against it. The only scriptures that encourage saving specifically (as opposed to simply “planning”) refer to a KNOWN time of need, such as ants preparing for winter or Joseph storing food for the 7 years of Egyptian famine. These types of savings could be compared to our retirement funds–a KNOWN time of need. My husband is a teacher and unpaid during the summer, so we save enough money to live during that KNOWN time of need.

Socking away money for UNKNOWN need, is specifically what scripture seems to caution us about. This kind of savings is fear based and causes us to trust our provision rather than God’s. Instead of saving money for an emergency that may or may not ever come, pick your head up and LOOK AROUND. There are people everywhere that God has commanded us to give to. GIVE NOW. If, in fact, you do come to a time of need, God will provide for you. He has promised to do so. Moreover, if more Christians made a discipline of giving, when in need, we could actually be provided for by those we’ve helped. It is this kind of interdependence rather than independence by which the Christian community should be defined.

Additionally, I would be curious to know if others of you felt that the parable of the virgins is about financial preparedness or spiritual preparation for Christ’s return. I felt this was out of context, but I am not a “formal” Bible scholar.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:36:56 +0000

Prov. 22:3 & 27:12 – “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” (NLT)
In the NASB “danger” is translated “evil”. Which seems more accurate to the Greek. “Takes precautions” seems a stretch from the more literal translation “hides”. Thus, this passage refers more to fleeing temptation and sin than storing up wealth.
3The (C)prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

This is not to say that other passages don’t encourage us to have an emergency fund, but these Proverbs don’t seem to apply.

By: Lena

Lena — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 02:17:19 +0000

I don’t necessarily believe Jesus would have an emergency fund for himself, but I believe he would recommend it to others. I don’t believe his purpose on Earth included funding a rainy day account, because he knew what the future held for him. But, even without the specific Bible verses above, I know that Jesus would want us to take care of our own needs so we have the freedom to also look after others. If we are constantly worrying about our own financial stability, then there’s not much time/money/energy left over to help others.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:28:42 +0000

Jesus would have just enough money at just the right time. His savings would look like an emergency fund to everyone besides himself.