Burning a Hole in Your Pocket, By Leah F.

 Burning a Hole in Your Pocket 

By Leah F.

Have your parents ever told you not the spend your money or act like it will "burn a hole in your pocket?" This phrase is talking about how you shouldn't get money and then spend it immediately. You need to save your money in case you want or need something expensive. But, what does the Bible say about what you should do with your money? 

Luke 14:28 says, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" This verse is talking about how we should know what we are spending before we spend it. Maybe you around seventeen and you are saving up for a car for yourself. You tell your parents that if they buy you a car now, you will pay them back by some date. You go to the dealer, and find the car you like, but you don't ask for the price, and let your parents deal with the money. You keep saving money, spend some money on some clothes and lunch with your friends, and then the date 

comes when you say you would pay your parents back. You give your parents the money, and you find out you're five thousand dollars short! You try to blame your parents about not telling you the price, but you know it was your fault. You didn't ask for the price, and you were confident about being able to get the money; and now you lost your car. 

Luke 16:11 says, "If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?" This verse is talking about responsibility. Let's say your around sixteen or seventeen again, and that you want to be able to go out by yourself. Your parents say that if you can prove yourself responsible enough, you can go. You say "Okay," and try to be responsible, doing your homework, not complaining, making sure to do all of your laundry, and keep your room clean. But you forget about your other responsibility; your money. You go get your pay check every week, and then you go spend it immediately. Then the time comes, and you ask your parents if you proved yourself responsible. But they don't ask to go see your room, or look at your grades, they want to know how much money is in your bank account. Your dad says that you get 50 dollars a week, and you've been working for a month, so you should at least have 110-120 dollars in your account. You go to the bank with your parents, and you have 20 dollars. Your parents tell you that if you can't be expected to be responsible with your money, you can't be responsible for other things like going out.  

Now, this verse wasn't talking about going out; it was talking about "true riches." But what are true riches? Of course, even though saving money is important now, it won't be when Jesus comes again. You need to make sure your "saving" the right thing, like Bible verses and God's love. But if you can't be expected to respect and use your time and money wisely, how can you be expected to use what God gave you wisely? Think about that when you get your next pay check or go shopping.