A friend of mine recently asked me a loaded question that I would like to share with you and my response to his question.  The question was this.

“If you were giving council to a young married couple with children about being a good steward with their finances and being responsible with their family and life, what order would you put these items in?  Things such as food, clothing, utilities, shelter, gas, medical, charitable giving, savings account, life insurance, retirement, college funds, etc.”

Below I have posted my response to this question.  Whether we are conscious or intentional at times in our thinking regarding certain decisions that we make, our priorities are determined by our values.  The shaping of values then determine what we place priority on.

If I were to give counsel to a young couple this is what I would tell them.  I would tell them that our doing is derived out of our being.  For in Christ we are to live and move and have our being.  Our doing is to flow out of our being.  Our priorities and the values that we place on them, flow out of relationship “our being.”  For example, my values may be shaped in this way.  Christ, family, work, and then other relationships.  Once I determine my values, I place priority on them.  What belongs to Jesus, since I place value on seeking and putting Him first, the first 10% goes to Him.  From there, food, shelter, utilities, gas, life insurance, missions giving and offerings, savings account, and retirement.  My wife and I have decided that each of our children will need to pay for college themselves through scholarships and what not.  It is our determined values that shape the outflow of our priorities.

What about you, have you taken the time to think about how your values are shaping and determining your priorities?  It’s a good thing to give some thought and consideration to!  Give it a try and let me know what you come up with.