How much money does a Christian need to live up to all the requirements that God has placed on our lives? I would like to provide some insight into a couple of such requirements.

God requires you to have enough money to contribute your fair share toward a better-than-average standard of living for your minister.

Most churches simply ignore this requirement and take financial advantage of their ministers. Let me share a humorous saying about the prayer many churches offer when they hire a new preacher. "Lord, you keep our new preacher humble, and we, here at the church, will keep him poor."

Notice how different this prayer is from God's instructions:

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. For the scripture, saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his reward.
(1 Tim. 5:17-18)

Notice it doesn't say your minister should receive just a living wage. It clearly states that ministers of the gospel who handle the Word of God are worthy of double honor. That means at least twice as much money as the average wage-earner in your community.

There are good reasons God wants your minister to receive ample funding. First of all, your minister has the most important job in your nation. He watches for the souls of people, while civil authorities merely watch for their bodies and possessions.

Second, your man of God cannot lead you into the abundance you need, to do all God wants you to do if he, himself, is walking in insufficiency. It's difficult for your minister to take you where he has never been.

Just as a lost pastor cannot produce a saved church, if your pastor walks in insufficiency, it will be difficult for him to bring you into the abundance you need to do all that God requires of you.

God requires you to have enough money to properly provide for those of your own house.

Most people would have given priority to this financial obligation over any others. Two scriptures helped me find out that this obligation has its own priority and not necessarily the first.

...Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
(Matt. 6:33)

This verse tells us which of the several expenses of life should be first. Without question, it should be those that pertain to the Kingdom of God.

Most people's responsibilities fall into three areas—family, vocation, and God. I found a scripture in the Old Testament that shows the divine order of these three parts of your life. In the following verse, you will see the priority Isaac gave to these important aspects of his life after moving to Beersheba.

...He builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there, and there Isaac's servants digged a well.
(Gen. 26:25)

Isaac's first act was to build an altar, seeing to the things of God before anything else. Afterwards, he took care of his family by pitching his tent.

Last of all, he took care of his vocation. His servants dug a well, for he was a well-digger by trade. With this biblical model as a guide, we see that taking care of your family is next to taking care of the things of God.

...If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
(1 Tim. 5:8)

Source: God's Financial Requirements and Divine Provision by John Avanzini
Excerpt permission granted by HIS Publishing Company