I’m in a Facebook group called ChooseFI, which stands for Financial Independence. A few weeks ago someone posted about the conflict many Christians face:
Is hoarding money today, or pursuing the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, something that goes against what Scripture teaches?
While there were several well-educated responses, most lacked a clear biblical understanding of what God requires of Christians and their finances.
I have been reading and learning about the FIRE movement for a few years now and follow some of the principles of the movement. In fact, my blog post, The Top 10 Informative Books On The FIRE Movement, catches quite a bit of attention from those just new to FIRE.
I found that there wasn’t a clear post on the internet that could answer, “Should Christians pursue the FIRE movement?” I want to provide that resource to the best of my ability and encourage Christians in their financial journey.
Before we get started, I need to let you know that I read Dave Ramsey’s The Legacy Journey and Randy Alcorn’s Managing God’s Money to prepare for this post. I also studied Scripture and went to the Lord in prayer. I encourage you to read both of these books and the Bible as they will provide a much deeper level of some of the subjects I discuss.
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What does the Bible say about financial independence? Does it tell Christians to pursue the FIRE movement or its principles? Let’s dive in!
Honor Christ With Your Whole Life
In The Legacy Journey by Dave Ramsey, I found that his constant encouragement on this theme was extremely helpful for me: God desires to bless those who honor Him.
When we consider the concept that God wants to bless each Christian financially, I found that it centered around two core truths:
First, we must find our complete identity in Christ. This means we rest in the truth that Christ is all we need in this world. We use our time, talents, and treasures for the purpose of honoring and glorifying God.
As Christians, we have the desire to serve God, obey His Word, and heed His will for our lives because we love Him. Every single area of our lives should be centered on the desire to serve God in the best possible way with the resources He has given us. Therefore, in the way we handle our finances, we can honor God.
Secondly, we must maintain an eternal perspective. Everything on this earth will fade. We can’t bring our wealth to heaven. What we do on earth is for the eternal purpose of making God’s name known to the world and building up our treasures in heaven.
Matthew 6:19-24 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (ESV)
God wants to bless us, and we can enjoy those blessings; however, it begins with your heart’s motive. Before Christians pursue the FIRE movement, they should first examine every area of their lives to see if they are pursuing Christ first.
Begin with reflecting on your heart’s motive behind pursuing FIRE. Are you sold out for the gospel in everything you do? Is your identity in Christ alone? Do you have an eternal perspective? I like how this blog post answers some of these questions on a deeper level.
Ownership & Stewardship
As Christians, we are not the owner of our finances. God is the owner. We are simply the manager. We are called to be good stewards of the finances God blesses us with.
Ownership is realizing that my money is not my own. Stewardship is realizing that I have been entrusted by God to manage His money and He calls me to manage it well.
But how can be good managers of God’s money?
We must surrender everything we have to Christ alone. Our finances, riches, and wealth are God’s alone. Have you heard the Jars of Clay song, Two Hands? Here’s a link to the video to give a quick listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUBn1_A_XPU
The song is a wonderful reminder that we can’t hold onto our finances. We must have open hands, surrendered to God. And that means both of them need to be open to God, for Him to use our wealth for His glory.
If God called you to give away all your money, all your years of saving for FIRE, would you do it? It’s tough to think about, but it’s what the Lord requires of His people – full and complete surrender.
As a manager of God’s money, we must also know that money is not evil in and of itself. The love of money; however, is evil. It shows us clearly in 1 Timothy 6:10 this principle: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (ESV)
Sometimes, being a wise steward of God’s money might mean seeking to become financially independent or retire early; however, we should never love money and the journey of financial independence can often lead to that love.
You are a wise steward by giving first, saving second, and spending third. A wise steward has self-control, plans for the future, pays off debt, and lives a simple lifestyle of sacrifice.
When the Christian is faithful with a little, God is often faithful to bless Him with more. Manage well what God has given you now and it’ll be amazing to see what He asks you to manage for Him in the future!
And as a reminder, never become complacent as a manager of God’s money. Pursue more, just like you may be pursuing financial independence. It will require hard work, wisdom, and respect, but also, intentional focus. I encourage you to read Luke 16 to dive into this topic on a deeper level.
So, as a steward and manager of God’s money, what does that look like to you in regard to the FIRE movement? I firmly believe that the FIRE movement will be very hard for Christians to pursue because it threatens the idea of leaving your money in complete surrender to God.
A way to check your heart on this topic would be to examine your reason behind pursuing FIRE. Is it because you want more money? Or is it because you want to be a good steward of what God has given you? Do you have two hands surrendered to God as a manager of His money? Or are you clinging tight to what you have, trying to make yourself the owner?
Related Post: 7 Of The Best Investment Books For Smart Millennials
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Temptations As Christians Pursue the FIRE Movement
While we have discussed a few of the correct viewpoints towards money, there are also a few that are incorrect according to Scripture.
Consider first: Is wealth your source of security? If wealth is what you find your ultimate fulfillment in, which I believe is a strong danger or the FIRE movement, then it is an idol in the place of God.
God alone, the creator of the universe, should be the God you worship and serve. All other gods will fail. Money can so easily become a god that we serve without even realizing it. I like how this blog post discusses this topic. And when you pursue the FIRE movement, as I have experienced myself, it so extremely easy to get caught up in the pursuit of money over the pursuit of God.
Think about if you actually had to trust God for where your next meal was going to come from. Wouldn’t that change where you find your fulfillment and security? As a Christian, you can still build up wealth as it is an important part of being a wise steward of God’s money, but you must be cautious of where you find your security.
Another incorrect viewpoint of money, and also a trap the FIRE movement may cause you to fall into, is the sin of materialism. This is a very selfish sin. This is finding our security not just in lots of money, but the things that money can buy.
Materialism can lead to greed, cutting corners, lust, self-destruction, pride, lack of trust in God, and the feeling of never being satisfied. It’s an easy path to turn down in today’s culture, but one that the Christian needs to overcome.
However, I see this as a positive aspect of the FIRE movement. It can help you step away from materialism, as the theme of FIRE is to save and invest as much money as you possibly can instead of buying things.
On the other hand, Christianized materialism, as Randy Alcorn in Managing God’s Money brought to my attention, is the pursuit of giving away money so that you look better to others around you or in hopes that God will, in turn, bless you with more. This is also a bad heart motive.
We must remember that as much as God may bless others who honor Him with their lives and decisions, He also gives hardship to the same degree or more oftentimes. We can look to the life of Paul in the New Testament as a testimony to trials.
How can we fight all of these temptations? I believe they are easily fought with contentment. By being content with what God has blessed me with, I can still take action. However, Christians pursue the FIRE movement often out of a lack of contentment and want to get out of their current “rat race.” But, on the positive side, once they have achieved financial independence, they may be able to live a simpler lifestyle and give generously.
Pursue Christ first. God desires to bless us with wealth, yet wealth often comes as a result of pursuing Him and not pursuing wealth itself. There is a biblical balance to wealth which we will discuss next.
Who Will You Be Independent From?
Financial independence cannot and should not mean independence from God.
Randy Alcorn writes this extremely well in his book on page 193.
“Saving for possible short-term needs can be wise, whereas saving vast sums for decades ahead can be foolish. This may appear inconsistent, but I’m attempting to balance what Scripture says about both. We can’t ignore all the verses in Proverbs that laud saving, yet neither can we ignore Christ’s scathing appraisal of the rich fool. Personally, I find balancing the two very difficult-but that’s the position Scripture puts us in. The solution is to affirm and honor both groups of Scripture, not ignore one.
A common goal of hoarders is to achieve “financial independence.” But from whom do we wish to be independent? God? Our family? Christian brothers and sisters? I certainly favor independence from the government or parents, in the sense that I earn my own living. There’s a kind of dependence that’s equally unhealthy. But isn’t there a kind of independence that’s equally unhealthy?”
There are examples of places and situations where pursuing FIRE makes sense to the Christian. You can desire financial independence from your employer so you can serve God’s kingdom better. For me, I would pursue FIRE to stay home with my children one day and be a mother to them, raising them up as strong believers in the faith. Maybe you are a Christian who pursues the FIRE movement for the desire to do mission work or evangelize more freely later in life.
There is a place for the FIRE movement in some Christian’s lives, but I do not believe it is for full retirement. The Christian will never retire early from God’s work.
Who are you looking for freedom from in the pursuit of FIRE?
Related Post: How Do You Quickly Become Debt Free In Your 20’s?
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Generous Giving
It is clear in scripture that God calls the Christian to generosity.
In Mark 10 we read the passage of the Rich Young Ruler. While the passage is about having the correct heart motive, where money is not an idol in your life, it is also extremely clear how generosity is so important to Jesus.
Mark 10:21 says, “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Generosity is a way we worship our Lord and Savior and it comes in ratios. Ratios help us remember that everyone is different. On page 172 of Dave Ramsey’s book The Legacy Journey we see that if everyone has a cup, everyone has different ratios to what comes out of the cup: lifestyle, investing, and giving ratios. Prayer is necessary to set the right ratios.
What we are generous with today will be an eternal investment for the future. That means helping the poor, tithing to the local church, giving to other kingdom work, helping others, and being sacrificial.
The FIRE movement discredits generosity, calling you to save and invest everything you possibly can, and that is a strong danger for the Christian pursuing FIRE.
As Christians pursue the FIRE movement, an eternal perspective is key. Don’t forget, one day you will have to give an account of your life. What good and generous works did you do for the kingdom of God with your finances?
I truly believe that in order to be generous, especially at a challenging level that God might call you to, you have to be content with the finances He has given you. You have to lean into delayed gratification.
Lastly, often people will pursue the FIRE movement to pass down a strong legacy. What is the legacy you want to pass down to the next generation? As Christians, we need to desire to pass down a strong legacy. In order to do that, we have to pursue money with the right heart motive.
Both authors give a thorough view of how to do this best. I encourage you to pick up both books on Amazon today.
See it on Amazon here!
See it on Amazon here!
The Christian In Pursuit of FIRE
Overall, I would say to myself and any other Christians in pursuit of the FIRE movement, who want to be financially independent and retire early: keep your priorities straight and seek after Christ continually and constantly.
Remember, saving and investing your money is good (like the poor widow in Mark 12) but not if it becomes hoarding money or the love of money (like the rich fool in Luke 2).
There are a lot of snares the devil will try to push on you in this pursuit, and as a Christian, you must always be on guard. We should always pursue God’s kingdom over the American dream.
Guard your heart against the love of money so that it doesn’t turn into an idol. Examine your heart to see what pride, selfishness, materialism, love of money, and elitism are there.
Always be generous. Always look to God with all your money decisions, as you are only the steward of His riches. Surrender your money to the Lord with open hands.
Store up treasures in heaven. Find your identity and security in Christ. Be humble. Be sold out for the gospel. Share the good news of the gospel through your FIRE story!
And as I said before: Financial independence cannot and should not mean independence from God. It means full surrender and trust in God alone.
What are your thoughts as Christians pursue the FIRE movement? I would love to hear! Drop them in the comments below. I read every single one!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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