THE ANSWER

THE BIBLE IS A BLUEPRINT FOR LIVING

I WAS SLIDING PAPERS and reports into my briefcase when the phone rang on my desk.  It was 5:30 p.m., and I was getting ready to go home after a long day of paperwork and personal conferences.

I was tired. Reluctantly, I picked up the phone. “Hello, Howard. This is Allen Hitchcock.” I felt a pang of embarrassment. I had neglected to return his earlier call. He sounded depressed, and I made a lame apology for not calling him back. “Jean and I considered a divorce, but we decided to try to work it out,” he said, his voice sounding strained. Their financial problems were on the verge of destroying their marriage.

He asked if we could meet to discuss their situation. We had become acquainted at church two years before, when they had moved from St. Louis to Orlando. Allen earned a middle-income salary as an assistant manager for a department store, but he couldn’t understand where the money went. They faced increasing expenses for their growing family, and in a few years they would need college tuition for the children. Neither he nor Jean could foresee a brighter future.

In addition, the Hitchcocks owed a substantial amount to retail stores, doctors, credit card companies and their bank. They had a sizable home mortgage. Because of their debts and their increasing daily expenses, the Hitchcocks shopped carefully, sometimes comparing half a dozen outlets for the best price. They used discount coupons at the supermarket. Allen did most of the car repairs, and Jean avoided buying expensive convenience foods. But the family faced a critical problem. Jean and Allen did not have a clear guideline for handling money.

They never had been able to budget their spending. They seldom decided not to buy what they wanted, and they had no plan to save or invest for the future. I understood their predicament. Several years before, a friend, Jim Seneff, and I found ourselves making daily financial decisions for our expanding businesses and young families without a scriptural point of reference. To be the best husbands and the best businessmen we could be, we felt compelled to do a thorough study of what Scripture said about money.