"God will provide! God will provide!" Those were the words he said as he left my office after liquidating his retirement investment account. All those years of diligently saving for his family's needs… all gone now. I felt terrible. Not that I lost an account, but because I wasn't prepared. I wasn't able to help my brother in Christ...

"God will provide! God will provide!" Those were the words he said as he left my office after liquidating his retirement investment account. All those years of diligently saving for his family's needs… all gone now. I felt terrible. Not that I lost an account, but because I wasn't prepared. I wasn't able to help my brother in Christ realize God's plan for his finances. That is when I vowed to be better-prepared in the future.

First, let's look at the importance of planning and investing for the future from a purely secular point of view. Everyone knows that the biggest expense you'll ever incur is a house… right? Wrong. Retirement can be far greater than any home you'll buy. Think about it. Let's say you want $30,000 per year through retirement. If you live 30 years in retirement, that totals $900,000 and that doesn't include inflation or taxes! At this point, we might want to think about how much we pay on a mortgage each month and compare that to how much we invest for retirement each month. Scary, isn't it? From a secular point of view, this is why it is important to save.

Now, let's look at scripture. My well-intending former client reflected upon Matthew 6:31, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" See, God will provide! My response to this is that God did provide. In my friend's case, he just wasted what God gave to him. How often does God bless us with more than we need, yet we use it on frivolous expenses rather than what is important - church, charity, retirement for you and your beloved spouse, college education for the kids/grandkids, etc. You see, we must do our part. We learn in Luke 12:24 that God even provides food for the raven, but realize that God doesn't throw the food into its nest! The raven, like us, must work and be diligent. For another great parable, read about the ant in Proverbs 6:6-11.

It is our duty and responsibility to save, invest, and provide for our family's needs. In case you would like more scripture references for this, consider these: 1 Timothy 5:8, Luke 14:28-30, Matthew 25:14-30, Proverbs 21:20, 2 Corinthians 9:10-15, Ecclesiastes 11:2.

God will provide. We must use the money He has entrusted to us properly. If we don't, we may very well have reason to worry! Trust me. I've met several good-hearted, loving Christians who now find themselves in retirement years fearfully wondering when that final dollar will be withdrawn from their account to pay bills. Needless to say, this isn't a good feeling. I'm not trying to scare anyone. The reason I bring this up is that it pains me to see what is happening to God's children. If you use the money entrusted to you wisely and with His guidance, you should never need to worry again. It is my prayer that you will take your role as steward seriously. Take what God has given to you and make sure you are using it wisely. God will bless you for it!