Financial Wisdom Isn't an Accident

Most of the financial questions we face everyday aren't addressed chapter-and-verse in Scripture. The Bible doesn't tell you whether to lease or buy, how much to put in your 403(b), or whether to pay off debt before building an emergency fund. So how do we make wise financial decisions as followers of Christ?

Daniel Darling reminds us that God hasn't left us without guidance — even on questions Scripture doesn't explicitly address. "God has given us everything required for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3), and He's also given us wisdom for the asking (James 1:5).

Darling outlines three pathways to wisdom that I think we can apply directly to our financial lives.

Fear the Lord. Financial wisdom begins not with a spreadsheet but with a posture of the heart — one that says, "These aren't my resources. I'm a steward, not an owner." That changes everything.

Pray for wisdom. Before you make a major financial decision, ask God. He gives wisdom "generously and ungrudgingly" to those who ask. That includes wisdom about spending, saving, giving, and planning for retirement.

Seek wise counsel. Proverbs 11:14 reminds us that wisdom is found in many counselors. Don't make significant financial decisions in isolation — lean on trusted advisors, your church community, and resources designed to help you steward God's money well.

J.I. Packer defined wisdom as "the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it." Darling builds on that, reminding us that good decisions flow from hearts transformed by the Spirit and formed by the Word — asking not "what can I get away with?" but "will this glorify God?"

As pastors, missionaries, and church workers, you've devoted your lives to God's kingdom. Your finances deserve the same intentionality.

Source: Daniel Darling, Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Life: Ethical Answers for Cultural Questions (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2026).

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Steve Crawley, PhD

BMA Financial

Executive Director