Without a doubt, there is a great need in American Christianity to get back to the basics of the Word of God. That's true in salvation, discipleship, ethics and morality, business, daily living, or finances.

In reality, we have only one purpose for anything we do in this life—to glorify God in all that we are and do. If our day-to-day lives don't reflect this, then we are not serving God. Many who profess to serve God actually want God to serve them.

They will give, but they do it in order to receive something in return as repayment. They don't give because they want to give. They help the needy because they somehow feel that such benevolence will guard them and their families against a similar fate. They expect God to fulfill each and every want and/or desire, irrespective of God's will and purpose for their lives.

The function that finances play
Few Christians fully realize the function that finances play in their spiritual lives. The financial principles given throughout the Word of God are not there to determine whether we are strong enough to live by them; they're given because God knows that they are the best for us.

God's principles of finance are not an arbitrary set of rules by which to govern His people. Rather, they are a loving Father's wisdom to all those who will listen, trust His guidance, and obey.

Jesus never indicated that having money and material assets was wrong. But, He did indicate that the misuse of money and materials assets was a symptom of an even greater problem.

He constantly warned His followers to guard against materialism with its greed, covetousness, ego, and pride, because those are the primary tools that Satan uses to seek control of and to manipulate God's people. In fact, Jesus gave more warnings about materialism than any other sin or transgression.

“Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does life consist of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Managers
Most pastors consider themselves managers or shepherds of the flock that God has given them. They do not own the flock—they manage the flock. As such, their responsibilities can best be described as leading, handling disturbances and problems, acting as a mediator, acting as a figurehead, disseminating information, acting as a spokesperson, teaching, directing, guiding by example, negotiating, monitoring progress, administrating, and allocating.

In Christian America today, the greatest pastoral need in the area of finances is for God's undiluted Word to be taught clearly and for pastors to serve as examples of how God's financial principles really work.

In essence, that means that God's shepherds cannot effectively teach God's people unless they are living examples of what the Word of God teaches. They cannot effectively teach financial discipline and debt-free living if they do not “practice what they preach.”

Conclusion
In the world of business, management is logical and rational. It seeks to anticipate the need it wants to fulfill and factually describe that need along with the resolution(s) necessary to meet the need. But in managing God's flock, many times reasoning must be replaced with faith, and conclusions based on the world's business logic must be exchanged with fervent prayer, meditation, and the study of God's Word. Only then can God's managers understand God's primary purpose for His people regarding finances.