Have you ever heard of The Tightwad Gazette? This is a newsletter dedicated to “promoting thrift as a viable alternative lifestyle.” This monthly publication is filled with money-saving ideas such as vacuuming furnace filters and reusing them, or shredding newspaper for cat litter.

Now, I’m all for saving money and looking for a better deal. Many short-cuts to cost-cutting, however, just transfer the cost from one source to another (they really don’t help in the long-run).

But, I think that the Tight-wad lifestyle can ultimately turn into a greedy lifestyle. The biblical principle is that God wants to partner with us and that we are a channel through which God’s blessings flow. If the summary of my life is what I’ve saved, and I can’t take any of it with me, what do I have in the end? What will be the summary of my life?

Remember these wise words recorded in Haggai 2:8: “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,” says the Lord of hosts.” He already has it all. What are we lacking?

Tags: giving, money, stingy