Financial Discipline Brings Joy

You’ve probably heard it said that “anything worth doing is worth doing well.” Working hard at something can pay big dividends— spiritually and financially. Talk to any successful person, and they’ll probably tell you that success requires work. Former U-S Secretary of State, General Colin Powell said, “There is no secret to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” In other words, when you want to succeed in your finances, at your job, at school, or in relationships…you can’t just sit around thinking about it. You have to take action. Success in any area requires discipline.

Athletes know this. The more reps you do in the gym, or the more miles you put in, the better you do on competition day. No pain, no gain, right? In the area of education, a good student understands discipline: Study a little bit each day, take good notes, do your homework, and you’re in a better position to ace that test!

It’s the same with your finances. Practice discipline with your saving, spending, and giving, and you’re more likely to reach your financial goals. Unfortunately, if athletes, or students, or you and I, fail to practice discipline, the results won’t be as positive, because without the pain of discipline now, we’re likely to face the pain of regret later on. Here’s what Hebrews 12:11 says about discipline: No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

The Bible confirms that discipline is an important part of a Christian’s life—for spiritual as well as practical reasons. We can’t grow as disciples of Christ if we’re sitting around like sanctified couch potatoes! And while discipline is hard, it can also be a source of joy.

Let’s look at a few examples of financial disciplines, and the benefits of staying the course. Maybe you’re working hard at one or more of these.

Perhaps you’re determined to save a little money from your paycheck every week. That certainly requires discipline, but the benefit of consistent saving is that you feel a lot less stressed about future financial needs.

Another example of financial discipline is giving faithfully to the Lord. When you do, you have the satisfaction of participating in His Kingdom work, and the joy of helping others. Or how about this one: It takes discipline to pay down your debts, but the benefit is, you’re making progress towards financial freedom. Think of the joy you’ll experience when you’re finally debt-free! Finally, it takes discipline to stick to a financial plan, but when you do, you’ll reap the rewards of financial peace and confidence. Knowing where each dollar is coming from and where it’s going is a key to financial stability and success. By the way, if you’re not exercising the discipline of a spending plan, we can help with that. Download the FaithFi app, and we’ll show you how to start your own personalized spending plan.

The point is that it takes discipline to be a good manager of the resources God’s given you. It might be painful to endure the disciplines of saving, giving, paying off debt, and sticking to a plan, but the pain has a higher purpose.

The verse from Hebrews that we quoted earlier tells us something we already know—discipline hurts—But discipline can also be a source of joy. Here’s why:

First, the results of discipline are positive. In the realm of finances, we can rejoice when our nest egg grows, when we see progress in paying off our loans, and when we see the fruits of our planning and generosity. These happy outcomes make the hard work… of saving, paying down debt, planning, and giving…worthwhile.

Also, when we follow God’s blueprint for stewardship and integrity in money matters, we experience peace in our financial life. When you compare the lack of financial discipline to the discipline of careful stewardship, it’s easy to see which one is more joyful. It’s much better to have all your ducks in a row, than to be constantly chasing them around the pond!

Finally, as hard as we try, none of us will make the right financial choices every time. So, whether you blew your budget or missed a loan payment, it’s not the end of the world. Acknowledge your mistakes. Get help if you need it, submit your plans to the Lord, and get back on track.

God has set before you certain resources to manage and when you exercise discipline with your money, and your spiritual life, you’ll experience a harvest of righteousness and peace, which is success in anyone’s book! You can also listen to the related podcast on this topic.