We work, we earn, we save. But is that all there is? The book of Ecclesiastes gives us an entirely new perspective on money that impacts our day-to-day lives. Faith Phi's newest study, Wisdom Over Wealth, unpacks life-changing biblical truths about wealth, work, and contentment. This resource will help you grow in how you handle wealth by deepening your trust in God.
Purchase your copy today or place a bulk order at faithfy.com/slash shop. Have you ever noticed how some people light up when they give, while others treat it just like another transaction? Hi, I'm Rob West. Maybe the difference isn't in the amount they give, but in how God designed them to give. What if discovering your God-given giving style is the key to finding joy and generosity?
Today, Chris Gabriel joins us to unpack the idea of wise generosity. And then it's on to your calls at 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7,000. This is Faith in Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey.
Well, I've really been looking forward to today's conversation with Chris Gabriel. He leads a successful wealth management practice. He's also the author of Wise Generosity, a guide to purposeful and productive living and giving. And Chris, it is a treat to have you in the studio today.
Well, thank you, Rob. It's such a pleasure to be here. You've spent decades guiding others in both philanthropy and wealth management, but now you've taken the time to really do a deep dive in this topic of generosity. You've written a book. I'd love for you to begin today by talking about wise generosity and really the heart behind it.
Absolutely. What I've come to appreciate, Rob, is that generosity is an essential virtue of a life well lived. It's also perhaps the aspect of discipleship and of God himself that's closest to our human nature. God's generous, to be made in God's image means to reflect God's generosity, ultimately expressed most fully by Christ on the cross. And so this work is meant to be a bridge between inspiration and application when it comes to giving, not just for a chosen select, but for everyone of all ages and stages of life.
I know you've said that this is really a guidebook for giving with purpose. And that idea of a guidebook really does hit at both the why, but also the how. Talk about the application side of what's in this. Yeah, absolutely. The book itself and the related materials around it are meant to be a bridge between inspiration and application.
So one reflection of discipleship is the way in which God works in our hearts and plants these seeds, which I have a chance to Grow and flourish over time. But we also have a responsibility to be stewards of the resources and capabilities that we're provided. And WISE Generosity really is designed to help build up that sense of inspiration, but also figure out how best to apply it given our own personal, unique circumstances and situations. Yeah. I know the first word in the title, WISE, is an acronym for some words that really provide the foundation for everything you're sharing here.
I'd love to unpack those quickly. First, well-grounded. Talk to us about what it looks like in practice. Yeah, so WISE is an acronym. It stands for well-grounded, inspired, satisfying, and effective.
Well-grounded and effective are both external dimensions. They relate to the practical impact of the gift. And so a well-grounded gift has a spiritual dimension to it. It's rooted in God's truth and in God's word. It's also practical.
It's based on the resources and capabilities that you have available. And so it means that there's planning and forethought given. To how to give in the most productive way possible. Yeah, as Christ's followers, everything we do, we want it to be well-grounded. What about inspired?
How do we shift from giving in a way that feels like an obligation to something we're truly inspired to do? Yeah, inspiration and satisfaction are both the internal dimensions of giving.
So, to be inspired means we have this innate identity that God gave us that's unique to us. And tapping into that, aligning the giving that we do with that inspiration, that personal identity, is the essence of meaningful, effective giving. We actually have the ability to tap into God's grand story through our giving. What a privilege that is, isn't it? I love that.
All right, the word satisfying, I know, has a deep meaning to this as well. Unpack that. Yeah, so satisfy and giving, again, you've paved the way with being well-grounded. You've tapped into that sense of inspiration that God gave you. The rewards of giving are ultimately beautiful and bountiful.
The blessings that you feel come because of being aligned with God and God's purposes. And so that level of satisfaction is really deep, and it's part of the essence of discipleship that we each get to experience with God's greatness and God's goodness. We also want our giving, Chris, to be effective. What does that look like? Yeah, effective giving recognizes the fact that ultimately we want to tie into God's great design for the worlds.
He has a purpose and a plan for the resources that He's provided for us, and our successful execution on that stewardship allows the gifts to fill and meet His purposes. That is so well said.
Well, folks, we're just getting started on this.
So much more to come with Chris Gabriel today. When we come back, we're going to talk about the concept of a personal giving identity. We're also going to help you identify your generosity, personality, and look at that in light of biblical characters. Much more to come just around the corner. And then your questions at 800-525-7000.
Stick around. We'll be right back. If you love what you hear on this program, there's even more waiting for you at FaithFi.com. Explore podcasts, videos, articles, Bible studies, and devotionals, all designed to help you see God as your ultimate treasure and money as a tool to advance his kingdom. Pursue wisdom, practice generosity, and steward God's resources in a community with others who share your faith.
Visit FaithFi.com to take the next step in your faith and financial journey today. That's faithfi.com. Feeling burdened by credit card debt? As faithful stewards, we are called to manage our finances wisely. Christian Credit Counselors can help with a debt management program that allows you to pay off debt up to 80% faster while honoring your commitments with integrity.
Don't let debt hold you back from the life God has planned for you. take the first step toward peace and financial freedom today. Visit ChristianCreditCounselors.org. That's ChristianCreditCounselors.org. As stewards of God's resources, we have the opportunity to enjoy what God has entrusted to us.
We also have the opportunity to give it away and to be connected to God's activity. What a privilege that is.
Well, today we're talking about wise generosity with Chris Gabriel. That's the title of his book. Wise Generosity is a guide to purposeful and productive living and giving. Chris, you've spent decades in wealth management and leading and teaching on philanthropy and wise planning. And this is really a passion of yours, this whole idea of wise generosity, isn't it?
It certainly is, Rob. This is a calling that I've been blessed to receive. God, in essence, answered a prayer about what He wanted me to do with my life, and He said, I want you to be a missionary for generosity. Wow.
Well, you've certainly done that well, and I'm so excited to introduce this great resource to our listeners. I want to talk about this concept of a personal giving identity, or what you call in the book a PGI. Explain this for us, because I think it's such a big idea that we would actually connect our giving to our greater purpose and meaning in God's eyes. Yeah, this concept is grounded in the idea that each of us has a unique identity that God gave us. There's a perfect version of us that God created to serve his purposes for his glory.
And tapping into that and understanding what that identity is is the key to fulfillment in so many aspects of life, but certainly in terms of giving.
So the personal giving identity is a resource like a Myers-Briggs test or an Enneagram that's designed to help tap into that identity in a way that everyone can relate to. And so when you get the results of taking your personal giving identity, how does this help you give in a more strategic way? Yeah, so it reflects the fact that there are different elements of what constitutes wise giving, well-grounded, inspired, satisfying, and effective. In the same way that people have different personalities that are expressed in other areas of life, that's true for giving as well.
So one example, the leading trait in the personal giving identity is your generosity personality type. And there are four personality types. Givers are focused, or expressive, or considerate, or disciplined. And so just that level of self-awareness and awareness on the part of the other people who you're engaged with in giving is key to unlocking the full potential of your gift to be fully wise. What about a couple that's giving together as a married couple?
How do you bring those giving identities together? Yeah, it's a great question. The same way in which we partner with our spouse in other ways, God brought us together to align our capabilities, our interests, and our potential areas of challenge. Ideally, Our spouse complements us in perfect ways. And that's reflected in giving along with other areas of life.
So, one of the resources that's available that relates to the personal giving identity in the toolkit that we're going to be bringing out this fall is a spousal comparison tool where you look at the way in which each member of the couple is aligned. That's great.
Well, you mentioned these four personality types related to giving: focused givers, expressive givers, considerate givers, and disciplined givers. And I know you've taken that a step further by really looking at familiar figures from God's word and looking at how they give. Unpack that for us a bit. This is fascinating.
Well, part of the mission of Wise Generosity is to share the blessing of giving with the wider world.
So, a lot of our content is designed to be delivered to as broad an audience as possible. But everything is grounded in the Bible and in spiritual principles. In fact, on the website for the book itself, there's a Bible study guide and some other tools that can be used. This is a good example. The personality types are based in biblical truth.
And of course, in the Bible, you see different characters representing different traits, different aspects of the human experience.
So, in regard to the personal giving identity, we've honed in on four figures from the Bible: Joseph, David, Ruth, and Daniel, each of whom represent the character traits that go along with one of those four personality types we referenced.
So, focused givers are like Joseph, they're results-driven, they get things done, they're put in positions of responsibility many times within the environment where they operate. David givers are expressive givers, they're people-focused, they love stories and community. They tend to be creative and relational. Ruth givers are considerate. They're relationship-centered, emotionally attuned, very sensitive to the needs and welfare of others.
And Daniel givers are disciplined. They're more data-driven, detail-oriented, thoughtful, and measured in their decision-making. And so, having that window of insight enables us to go back to scripture and say, well, if that's the kind of giver I am, let me look to that example for inspiration in terms of how I might apply that giving personality in a way that's going to have the most impact and do the most good. I'm sure it's a joy for you as an author to receive letters and comments about the effects that this work has had on those who really read it and take a deep dive into it. What are you hearing from some givers in terms of the before and the after and the effect that it's having on their giving?
That's a great question. Again, the toolkit is certainly meant to be used by individuals, but the delivery mechanism in most cases is going to be. Be through organizations. It's going to be through churches. It's going to be through ministries.
It's going to be more broadly through nonprofit organizations. And ultimately, we're bringing out a toolkit for professional advisors as well.
So these are tools that are designed to be used in conversation for the purpose of collaboration. And the feedback we're getting is the sense of self-awareness that comes along for someone saying, wow, now I have a really better understanding of how I'm going to be able to approach giving in a way that's going to be most rewarding, most meaningful, most effective, and how I can work with others in my sphere to make sure that my capabilities and identity are most productively applied in service to whatever that goal is.
So imagine a family sitting around the table and realizing that the different family members have their different focuses and interests when it comes to giving and just having a way to understand and engage around that more effectively. It's been wonderful to see that play out in terms of conversations and collaborations across the growing Wise Generosity ecosystem. Yeah, that's great. There should be an element of our giving, Chris, that's reactive. We hear a need, God prompts our heart to respond.
That's great, but there's also an element of giving that should be strategic and even systematic. How does this lead to more consistent, perhaps less reactive giving?
So, in the context of wise giving, the elements of personality that come into play, there are also other components in the framework that hone in on whether we're more people-focused or more problem-solving in terms of the giving that we do. Do we tend to be more intellectual and analytic when we come to make giving decisions, or do we tend to be more heart-driven and emotional? Again, just having that level of understanding and awareness helps with the process of making the giving as wise as it can be. For somebody who's listening today, Chris, who says, Yeah, that's me. I love giving.
You know, I feel like it's one of my spiritual gifts, but I've never considered it quite in this way. What would be a next step they should take? Where can they begin?
Well, the first place to go would be to wisegenerosity.com. That's our platform website. There, you'll find access to the gateway resource in the personal giving identity system.
Okay, and that's that wise generosity personality type that we've just Been talking about. You'll also find in the resources section that Bible study guide, a whole host of other tools that really start to focus in on what makes giving as meaningful and productive as it can be. And lastly, I referenced a moment ago: we're going to be launching a toolkit for churches and ministries and nonprofit organizations in September called Advance. And they can go and find out more information at wisegenerosity.com about that. And it may be a resource that they want to introduce to their own place of worship, the organizations that they're involved in, etc.
Excellent.
Well, folks, you're going to want to check it out, wisegenerosity.com. This is not just theoretical, it's practical. Take advantage of those exercises. Chris, thanks for being here. Thank you, Rob.
Folks, the website again, wisegenerosity.com. We'll be back with your questions after this break.
So call right now, 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. Or if you'd prefer to email your question, send it to us at askrob at faithby.com. Stay tuned. Stick around.
We work, we earn, we save. But is that all there is? The book of Ecclesiastes gives us an entirely new perspective on money that impacts our day-to-day lives. FaithFi's study, Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money, unpacks life-changing biblical truths about wealth, work, and contentment. This resource will help you grow in how you handle wealth with wisdom and deepen your trust in God.
Purchase your copy today or place a bulk order at faith5.com/slash shop. We are grateful for support from Praxis Investment Management. Since 1994, Praxis has offered investment products designed to meet practical needs for everyday investors seeking to steward their assets consistent with their desire to promote positive social and environmental impact. Praxis aims to bring a faith-based approach to ETFs, mutual funds, multi-fund portfolio.
Solutions and money market accounts reflecting their 500-year-old Anabaptist Christian faith tradition. More information is available at praxisinvest.com. Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. Taking your calls and questions today, 800-525-7000. You can call right now.
Let's go to Indiana. Hi, Gloria. Go ahead. My father is 97 years old. I am his guardian.
He does receive Medicaid at this point to help with his. Nursing home care. I did recently sell his property. There will be a spin down that will be necessary. My dad has already paid for his cremation, didn't want to have anything more than that.
Doesn't mean that I won't do it. But anyway, my question is: after the spin down to cover any of his remaining expenses, where should I direct his money? Yeah. Well, to your point, if he's on Medicaid and a property was sold, then those count as available assets. And so that's why that spin down is occurring before Medicaid continues to pay for his care.
So you report the sale, a new asset value to the state then is created, and then you use the funds for his direct benefit.
So that can be nursing home and private care costs, medical needs not covered by Medicaid, personal items, clothing, and things like that. Prepaid funeral arrangements in some states. You don't want to gift the money because that could violate Medicaid's rules and then trigger a penalty.
So you just have, as the fiduciary or the guardian, responsibility to use the money only for your father's benefit and in accordance with the Medicaid rules. And then once it's spent down, then at that point, you have the ability then to resume Medicaid. But was there something other than that that you were looking for?
Well, I'm very interested in making sure that my father is able to use his remaining money to pay for his care at the nursing facility. And some family members feel like that that's the wrong way to spend his money. For me and my value system and my father's has been we pay our own way as long as we can and then if we can't then that's different. He's been in the facility where he's at right now for just three months, and he was allowed to do that through Medicare, the ninety day deal. But now we need the Medicaid in order to be able to continue with him being able to stay where he's at.
And I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but now we have that.
So, is that a Medicaid approved facility that he's in currently? Yes, yes.
Okay, yeah.
So, I mean, sure. And I would completely concur with what you and your dad are experiencing. And that is, it's understandable. And I think God honoring to use your own money for your care. And that's actually how Medicaid is designed to work.
I mean, Medicaid is a last resort. It's for people who can't afford care on their own. And so I think if your father has assets or new income, like from a home sale, then he's expected to spend that on his own care first. And then once those funds are used appropriately, then he can reapply for Medicaid to resume coverage. You know, so I think using funds for his care is completely appropriate and avoids potential legal or ethical issues, not to mention just what we should do as Christ followers.
And so I think the approach you and your father want to take on this is exactly the right one.
Okay, thank you. I do appreciate that. We do have an elder attorney because we had family issues, and I just wanted to make sure that I covered the bases and that I had everything recorded with the court system. And so that is into place. And I just felt like that no matter what, my dad's money needs to follow him, not anybody else or anything else.
Yes.
Well, that's exactly right. And that's really the purpose of it. And that's how Medicaid was designed to work.
Now, with an elder care attorney, there are, you know, certain strategies they can use where they can protect assets legally. And, you know, they can help to clarify Medicaid rules because they do vary by state and make sure, you know, you avoid penalties and create family peace when siblings disagree. But I think at the end of the day, I would align with the way you and your father are looking at it as God has provided these resources to your dad, regardless of how they were generated. It all belongs to God entrusted to him, including the proceeds of the sale of this home. It's to be used for his benefit and his care.
And at which point he no longer has those, what a blessing that there is a government safety net in the form of Medicaid that will step in.
So I think you're on the right track here, Gloria. And hopefully that was an encouragement to you. And we appreciate your call today. Thanks for loving and caring for your dad.
So well, in this season of life, that honors the Lord for sure. Let's go to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hi, Ann. How can I help? Hello.
I'm so very excited that I have the opportunity to ask you a very important question to me.
Now, I've been studying the Bible for just a little over a year. And I do now have the understanding that with respect of tithing, I must recognize its holiness and return it to God. And Rob, I'm embarrassed to admit that I just started to tithe, but I want to ensure that I'm doing it right. Who, according to the Bible, should be the recipient of my tithe? Yeah, it's a good question.
So here's my perspective on that, Anna. First of all, I appreciate the diligence with which you're thinking through this. Clearly, you want to be found as a faithful steward of God's resources. I think that's the heart posture that God certainly wants. What we see in the New Testament, because we're under the law of Christ, not the law of Moses, we see giving that Jesus references many times that's, I think, sacrificial.
We see that with the, you know, his recognition, if you will, of the widow that gave out of her poverty, the widow's might. We see that we're to give proportionately. It says to whom much is given, much is required. We see that we're to give freely and cheerfully. The Bible says we should give cheerfully, not under compulsion.
And so we shouldn't do it out of a sense of obligation, but really, I believe, an overflow of our gratitude to God for what He's already provided for us before even the financial resources He's entrusted to us. He's given us the free gift of eternal life through the shed blood of Jesus and his death and resurrection. And when we place our trust in him, now we're then reconciled to the Father in a right relationship with him.
Well, just out of gratitude for that, I think we should look to be giving to support the work of the Lord. And as we think about being a manager of what's God's, not 90% is ours and 10% is God's, 100% is God's.
So, with that understanding, I like the idea of using the guideline of the tithe from the Old Testament and referenced in the New on our increase as a starting point. And I think that's what it should be. We should give beyond that, but using that as a starting point.
Now, we see reference to the storehouse. The Israelites had a storehouse in the temple where they kept the tithes of food for the priests and Levites. You know, we see that the storehouse was part of God's provision for the priests who served in the temple and the Levites who had no land of their own in Deuteronomy.
So, I think the Best representation of that today is our local church, and I would say at the end of all of this, that's where we ought to give our tithe and then look to give beyond that other places on the heart of God. Folks, that's going to do it for us. A big thanks to my team today: Jim Henry, Devin Patrick. We're also grateful for Pat as well as Adam, who work as a team to handle our phones. You have a great day, and come back and join us tomorrow.
We'll see you then. Bye-bye. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.
