Stressed About Money? A Simple First Step Towards Worry-Free Finances
Maybe you can’t remember a time when you weren’t worried about money. For you a lack of money and stress are one and the same thing. Maybe as you read this, you are dodging phone calls from your bank, rent’s due and your washing machine has just broken.
How do I know? I have been there.
Yes, you know you must have an emergency fund. three months’ expenses. Clearly whoever came up with that has never heard of a little thing called, cost of living.
It costs to live. It costs money. Real euros. None of that cryptocurrency stuff.
You gave up the utopia of worry-free finances, the moment the responsibility of adulthood was thrust upon you.
Now you have gotten good at surviving money stress and anxieties. Barely. Your loved ones have never known a carefree you. The real you. One who isn’t beaten by money worries.
You can be that person again. That carefree person, the way you used to be as a child. You can get back there again.
But how?
Don’t worry. I’m not going to hand you a spreadsheet.
This isn’t a math problem. It’s a priorities problem.
Let me explain.
Two brothers and two gifts
Right at the start of the Bible there’s a story about two brothers, Cain and Abel. Each of them brings a gift to God. Here’s how it reads:
“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also brought an offering, fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour.” (Genesis 4:3-5, NIV)
When I first read that, it felt a bit unfair. They both brought something. What’s the problem?
People have all sorts of theories. Some say God just prefers a bit of meat to veg! But the real answer is hiding in the small words. And it’s easier to see with cake.
The birthday cake
My son Micah had just turned 10. So I brought his cake up the front at church, we all sang Happy Birthday, and then I started cutting.
A slice for you. A slice for you. Don’t be shy, come and get some cake. I was being very generous. Slice after slice went out around the room.
And when I finally turned to the birthday boy, what was left for Micah? Crumbs. Leftovers.
So I asked the room, “Is that right?” And everyone shouted, “No!”
Of course it’s not. It’s his birthday. He should get the first slice. The biggest slice. The best slice. (Don’t worry, he had another cake waiting at home. He was grand.)
That’s the whole difference between the two brothers.
Abel brought the firstborn of his flock, and the fat portions. We think of fat as a bad thing now. Low fat, zero fat. But back then, the fat was the best part. So Abel brought God the first and the best.
Cain brought “some of the fruits”. Not the first fruits. Just some. He brought God the leftovers.
The Bible scholar James McKeown puts it really well in his commentary on Genesis: “Abel carefully chooses his offering and brings the very best that he possesses to God regardless of expense. In contrast, Cain’s offering is nondescript.”
Why first matters
God wasn’t hungry. He didn’t need a lamb. What mattered was the heart behind the gift. God even says it straight to Cain:
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (Genesis 4:7, NIV)
So why is giving first the right thing? Because nothing we have is just down to us.
When Cain was born, his mum Eve said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man” (Genesis 4:1, NIV). Anyone who has waited years for a baby knows that’s true. And it’s true of our money too:
“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18, NIV)
Your job, your skills, your health, your brain. They’re gifts. Putting God first is just saying thank you in the right order. Like giving the birthday boy the first slice.
Courage feels irresponsible
Here’s the thing. Giving first doesn’t feel brave. It feels a bit mad.
What if the car breaks down? What if the bills are bigger this month? Giving away the first part of your money feels irresponsible. I get it. I’ve felt it too.
But I love how Ben Snyder from CedarCreek Church in Ohio puts it:
“Courage is doing what is right over what is easy.”
In the moment, courage rarely feels like courage. Leftovers are easy. Cain took the easy road. Abel did what was right.
Flip the order
Most of us, without ever deciding to, handle money like this:
Spend → pay the bills → save → give (if there’s anything left at all).
That’s natural. We’re wired to look after ourselves first. Think about it: what makes a group photo a good photo? If you look good in it!
But the story of Cain and Abel flips it:
Give → save → pay the bills → spend last.
That’s how we start building worry-free finances. Not by earning more first. By putting first things first.
Even if you’re not sure what you believe about God yet, try the principle. Pick what really matters to you and put it first, on purpose. Don’t just give it whatever’s left.
For me, as someone who follows Jesus, that means God gets the first slice. Jesus said it like this:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33, NIV)
“All these things” there means the everyday stuff. Food, clothes, a roof over your head. The very things we worry about.
So what’s a “tithe”?
You might hear Christians talk about “tithing”. It’s an old word that simply means “a tenth”. A tithe is giving 10% of what you earn to God, usually through your local church.
But please hear me on this. God isn’t after 10% of your money. He’s interested in 100% of you. Your money is just one part of your life, and faith isn’t meant to live in a box marked “Sunday”. It touches everything.
And it’s not a natural thing for any of us. Generosity has to be learned. Nobody is born good at it. I certainly wasn’t.
A gentle first step
So here’s my invitation. Not a rule. Not a test. Just an invitation.
If you’ve never tried giving first, try it for three months. On payday, before anything else goes out, give the first 10% to God. Set it up so it happens first, not last.
If 10% feels like a cliff right now, that’s okay. Start where you are. The key isn’t the size. It’s the order. Make it first.
You’re not earning God’s love by doing this. You already have that. You’re just learning to trust him with the first slice. Then see what changes, in your bank account and in your heart.
Your next steps
- Watch the full message: Stressed About Money? Here’s Where to Start. It’s the first week of our Budget 2027 series.
- Sit with this question: Who or what is getting the first slice of my money right now? And what would it look like to put first things first?
- Come and say hello: If you’re in Galway, we’d love to see you at L15 Church. We meet Sundays at 11am in the Maldron Hotel. No pressure, just come as you are.
Money stress is loud. But it doesn’t have to have the last word. Start with first things first.
Oz
You might also like
- Do Christians Have to Tithe? An Honest Answer
- Anxious About Everything? Become a Control Freak (the Good Kind)
- Is It Okay for Christians to Meditate? A Simple Way to Start
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