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Some people think being rich means owning a lot of things, when in reality, being rich often means a lot of things owning you. Hi, I'm Rob West. The signs of wealth are all around us: luxury cars, upscale neighborhoods, designer clothes, vacation homes. But do possessions really make people rich in a way that matters? Today we'll uncover the not-so-secret secret of true riches found in God's Word.
Then we'll take your calls at 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. This is Faith in Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey.
Well, it's hard to keep a Christ-centered perspective on wealth when our culture constantly pressures us to want more, buy more, and accumulate more. But this isn't a modern problem. Jesus warned in Luke 12:15, take care and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Those words remind us that there's far more to life than material wealth. In the Biblical worldview, money and possessions rank low on the list of what's truly desirable, not because they have no use, but because they so easily lead to greed, selfishness, and discontent, pulling our hearts away from God.
We need money to live, yes, but making money the main thing is a dangerous path. Jesus doesn't just warn against greed and envy. He gives us the key to a better life. Don't make your existence all about the abundance of possessions, or your possessions will start to possess you. Proverbs twenty three, four and five puts it plainly Do not wear yourself out to get rich, do not trust your own cleverness, cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone.
It's a truth we repeat often because it's God's truth. Material things can never give you the life your heart truly craves.
So, what kind of abundance does lead to real life?
Well, C.S. Lewis once said: aim at heaven and you'll get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. That's exactly what Jesus shows us in Luke twelve through the parable of the rich fool. He tells of a wealthy man so obsessed with his possessions that he decides to tear down his storehouses and build bigger ones, telling himself he'll enjoy a long and relaxing retirement.
But before he can carry out his plans, God says, You fool. This very night, your life will be demanded from you. then who will get what you have prepared for yourself. Jesus concludes with this warning and promise This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves, but is not rich toward God. Once again, Jesus is addressing the heart.
He knows we live in a world full of desirable things. But God created us for far more than temporary pleasures and short-lived achievements. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says He has set eternity in the human heart. That means deep down, what we really long for is an abundant life, life with meaning, purpose, and relationships that truly matter, eternal things. Those good things begin with knowing our Creator.
To possess a relationship with the Lord is to be filled with His abundance, to be rich toward God. And when we live in Him, our purpose naturally flows into loving others the way He loves us. Jesus makes this promise in John 10, 9 and 10: I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. The abundant life Jesus describes isn't about bigger barns or fuller closets. It's about abiding in Him. In John 15, 5 he says, Whoever abides in me and I in him. He it is that bears much fruit.
For apart from me, you can do nothing. When we abide in Him, life flows, not just for our benefit, but spilling over into the lives of others. The tragedy of the rich fool isn't just that his life ended abruptly. It's that he spent it chasing abundance in all the wrong places. In his pride and greed he missed the opportunity to abide in God and serve others.
He chose to be rich toward himself rather than eternally rich toward God.
So let me ask you, what are you depending on to give your life meaning and purpose? Could some of those things be quietly taking God's place in your heart? If so, pray for the Lord to uproot those dangerous desires and refocus your attention on Jesus. Because true wealth isn't found in what you own, it's found in who owns you. and the real abundance is being rooted in Christ.
That is precisely why we created Rich Toward God, a four-week study on the parable of the rich fool. It's an in-depth look at what it means to live open-handed with your finances, showing how a biblical approach to money transforms more than your bank account, it transforms your heart. You can order your copy or place a bulk order for group study by visiting faithfy.com. Just click shop. Back with your questions after this.
800-525-7000. Stick around. We're grateful for support from Guidestone, whose diversified suite of investment solutions align with Christian values to create positive change in the world. More information is available at guidestonefunds.com/slash faith. Investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal.
Carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of Guidestone Funds before investing. They're distributed by Four Side Funds Distributors LLC, which is not an advisory affiliate, a registered investment advisor, nor do they provide investment advice. Are you a financial professional looking to grow your practice while offering advice that aligns with your Christian values? By becoming a certified kingdom advisor, you'll gain the biblical wisdom and professional credibility to serve clients who are seeking faith-based financial guidance. Each year, more than 75,000 people search for a certified kingdom advisor.
Join our community and share your expertise with clients looking for someone who shares their faith and values. Start your journey today by going to kingdomadvisors.com slash get certified. Thanks for joining us today on Faith and Finance, helping you live out a biblical worldview as it relates to this show in the area of money management. You know, God owns everything. That changes everything about how we should handle it because it's his money.
It's both. Hopeful and humbling, humbling because we realize it's not ours. And so we realize that it's God that gives us not only the ability to make wealth. But the ability to steward it wisely, we're told in scripture actually comes from Him. That's humbling that it's not ours in the first place, but it's hopeful because we know it all doesn't depend upon us.
God is our provider. Our responsibility then is faithfulness.
Well, we want to help you be a faithful steward here each day on this program. If you have a financial question, something very specific going on in your life, we've got lines open. We're ready for you. 800-525-7,000 is the number to call. Again, that's 800-525-7,000.
Let's go to Chicago, Donna. How can I help you? Hello, thank you for taking my call.
So we have a situation from My husband's first marriage, he has a son. And it has a small family and He has a hard time keeping a job. And He tries, but they let him go. For whatever reason, um So then She works. And they're behind on their bills So And not often, but occasionally he'll call up and he'll ask for money.
And my husband, he helps them out. But then We know that they are parting. They're not believers. We know that they probably buy some pot cigarettes, which is very expensive. And we just know that if they were to cut these items from their list.
they could probably have a lot more comfortable way of living.
So um and he he has a tendency sometimes to manipulate the my husband. He'll he'll call them and tell them that they're going to lose their home, which they might they might. And then say that the kids are going to be, you know, sort of the kids are going to be living on the street and My husband gets torn and doesn't know what to do.
So I've wanted to call for some time now. Because we just really need some biblical guidance. He won't take advice. And then he gets mad and he won't talk to my husband.
So We just need some wise counsel because we want to help them. But we also know that that they're spending uh their money unwisely. And so We don't want to enable that, so hopefully can A prayer and just give us some sound advice, you know.
Well, I'd be delighted to, and I know this one is challenging because we love our kids, we certainly don't want to see them suffer, and we want to be a blessing to them. And especially if you have the ability to do that, you have the means to provide, it's hard to resist. And yet, and I think you know this, I'm kind of hearing it a bit in your voice, but I'll just affirm and perhaps verbalize what I think you're already thinking, and that is, you know, you can do far more harm. by continuing to provide resources. Which decree which increases dependency and supports unwise lifestyle choices.
So, you're basically by continuing to provide your hard-earned money to this adult child, you are encouraging bad financial habits. And from a spiritual perspective, you're throwing money at a struggling child, which is shielding your adult son from hardship. Which may absolutely be the way that the Lord is going to get his attention. And so, you know, I think you just need to be really careful and thoughtful about this. And I think there are other ways to help.
You know, I think you and your husband need to be on the same page. You need to sit down before you go to the adult son and have the conversation and make sure you all are aligned and really make it a matter of prayer. But if you do go and offer some assistance, it needs to be tied to you really helping to support and reinforce wise decision making.
So it could be something like if you pay. Pay toward debt will match it. Things like that that are reinforcing the right behaviors. It could be you're willing to help with a certain outcome, especially if there's grandkids involved, but it's going to be directly to, you're going to pay the bill directly, not just giving the cash, because you know that may be used for, in fact, you have good reason to believe it's being used for things that would not be in alignment with biblical values. And so you make that check directly out to that particular entity or helping with that bill.
All of that could be predicated on this son, you know, walking with a certified Christian financial counselor. You know, maybe there needs to be a third party here. You all don't need to be the accountability here, but perhaps your willingness to help in the future could be tied to them providing, walking along with somebody that they're accountable to. And that person, if your son will give you permission. You know, being willing to check in with you along the way and say, hey, here's how it's going.
Now, at the end of the day, could this go sideways and it provide a wedge in the relationship? Yes. Could it mean that he stops talking to your husband for a period of time? Absolutely. And that's hard.
But I think the last thing we would want to do is continue to provide help that is not going to allow the Lord to get his attention to the extent he wants to do that. And this is the way to do it. It's not going to reinforce any kind of wise financial decision making and stewardship in the future because there's no reason to make any kind of change. We're shielding him from the consequences of mismanagement and unwise decision making. And the longer you do that, the longer it's going to take for him to learn from this.
Surrender his life to Jesus, which is far more important than anything. Put him as the king and the lord of his life and his money. And then begin to heed wise counsel from God's word about how to manage what's left. Does that make sense, though? Yes.
Yes, it does. Thank you.
Okay. That's hard. You know, this is not easy. And I think. You know, what it means is we make this a matter of prayer.
You know, I think you need to clarify your financial expectations. I think, you know, you may decide to exercise tough love here. And that's probably just given the history of this and how long it's going on and what you're experiencing. I think perhaps the next season is about saying, listen, we love you. We just can't continue to support the decisions you're making.
And so we need to stop for this time. And that may have relational consequences, but I think you can rest in the fact that, you know, our main objective is that he'd surrender his life to the Lord and then the financial decision making based on God's word would follow. Donna, thanks for your call today. We'll be praying for you. Let us know how it turns out.
Hey, let's go to Illinois. Hi, Mary. Go ahead. Hi, Rob. How you doing?
I'm great, thanks.
Okay, so I have investments already. I have a financial advisor and I'm going to have a meeting in a couple of weeks with her. But I was listening to one of your shows and I was you were talking about making sure our investments are invested in companies that align with God's plan.
So I was wondering if you have information or if you could refer me to a site or something. Know what companies I would want to invest in if I'm not already in those now with my finances already, my investment absolutely. Yeah, I'm so glad you asked this question, Mary. You know, more and more we're seeing really world-class, compelling investment options that are built to align with biblical values. I mean, they're still pursuing a very attractive return and creating a lot of compelling risk-adjusted returns for their investors, but making sure they avoid companies who are misaligned with their values and looking to embrace companies that specifically are creating human flourishing.
You can find a list, I'll give you a website, faithandinvesting.com/slash faithfy. Let me say it again: faith. And investing.com forward slash FaithFi. It's a free PDF to download. Take that list of funds and compare it to the ones available in your 401k.
We'll be right back with much more. Stay with us. Are you looking for a financial professional who shares your Christian values and offers advice you can trust? Certified Kingdom Advisors are experienced financial, legal, and accounting professionals who have completed a rigorous certification program rooted in biblical financial wisdom. They meet high standards of integrity, competence, and stewardship, helping you honor God with all he's entrusted to you.
To find a certified kingdom advisor in your area, visit faithfi.com and click Find a Professional. Faith in Finance is grateful for support from Soundmind Investing. If you have money in an investment account, you know sometimes the stock market can seem like a roller coaster. But it's possible to enjoy both profit and peace of mind as a do-it-yourself investor, no matter what's happening in the market. A short video webinar about that is available at soundmindinvesting.org.
Financial Wisdom for Living Well.
Soundmindinvesting.org Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. We're taking your calls and questions today at 800-525-7000. Again, that number is 800-525-7,000. Hey, our new issue of Faithful Steward is almost ready to be mailed. That's right.
It's issue number three. The theme for our new issue is Your Work Matters. And boy, I'm so thrilled about this feature from Pastor Tom Nelson from Kansas City. He's also the founder and chairman of Made to Flourish, which produces the Common Good magazine. And they equip pastors and other stakeholders to basically remove the disconnect between Sunday and Monday.
And, you know, they're doing incredible work. But this issue is just chalk full of some incredible advice.
So if you're a partner, a Faith 5 partner, you're going to be receiving issue three of Faithful Steward. Here in the next couple of weeks, we can't wait to get it in your hands. Here's some of the topics we cover in this new issue. I'm holding in my hand, by the way, it's gorgeous. We take a fresh look at tithing and really do a deep dive into every passage in the Old and New Testament and really pull out some, I think, principles around the tithe in terms of how we should think about it now that we're no longer under the law of Moses.
And you know, this is one of the most common questions we get on this program. I think you're going to love this article on tithing from John Cortinez. We have an article that's just really thoughtful on financial next steps after losing a spouse. Shane Enet, a professor at Biola, who's just an incredible writer, he put together in our conversations department six great money dates. It's intentional money dates for you and your spouse to get your finances in sync, but with some really fun date nights built into each of those, you're going to love that.
Creating a shared vision for blended family finance. In our QA section, is it okay for married couples to have separate checking accounts? And then Ron Blue tackles the question: is it okay to be unequally yoked? in business. Randy Alcorn is also in this issue.
Just some really phenomenal content.
So I can't wait for you to get it. By the way, if you'd like to be a FaithFi partner, that is a huge part of how we fund this ministry. Just head to faith5.com/slash partner to learn more. A gift of $35 a month will make you a partner. And not only will you help us get this message to more people, but you'll get four issues of Faithful Steward each year, all of our new studies and devotionals.
And by the way, I can't wait for you to get our new Devo coming out before the end of the year for partners. It's going to be the one that I'm authoring for the first time. And it's the 21 really big ideas that I think every Christian needs to know if they want to manage money God's way.
So more on that as we get into the fall, but a lot of exciting things coming in our partner program. All right, let's head back to the phones. By the way, if you have a question today, go ahead and call right now, 800-525-7000. Let's go to Ohio. Hi, Pam.
How can I help? Hi. My first question and I I hope it's very simple but I have my will and everything specified in there, how things are divided down as far as my house, and etc. I also have investments, and those are all have beneficiaries on it. My financial advisor says.
I don't need a trust. My kids are pushing me to get a trust. to avoid probate. Is that which is true as long as everything is designated Yeah, is it necessary? No, because eventually, with a will that's valid and up to date, your estate, everything in it, your property, personal property and assets and cash, plus the beneficiaries that are named on the accounts will ensure that everything ultimately gets to the heir of choice or the ministry or charity that you designate.
The beneficiary, the accounts with beneficiaries will pass outside of probate. They are correct that it will require the probate court to get involved, but it should typically be minimal in terms of time and expense. If it's a fairly simple situation, you know, it happens every day, but it, you know, it will extend it a little longer than if you have a trust. And just in terms of, you know, could it take a month or a couple of months? Sure.
If it's complicated, it could take even more than that. And there are some probate costs. But is it necessary? No. A valid will and up-to-date beneficiaries and other legal documents like living wills and healthcare directives is sufficient.
The benefit of the trust, even though it's going to cost a little bit more than the will, is that it's going to pass all of it.
Well, anything in the name of the trust, which could be your home and other assets, will pass outside of probate, will not be a part of the public record, therefore it's anonymous, will not be subject to probate court costs. Could be managed by a trustee in the event you're incapacitated prior to death. Whereas a trust only goes into effect at death.
So there are certain benefits, but you're talking a couple of thousand dollars probably to put a trust in place, whereas a basic will is probably more like five hundred. Right.
Now, my last will was made prior to my husband passing away. Everything was to come. to me and I did that But do I need to get my will updated? Yeah. I believe the secondary Was our children after, you know, if I passed, my husband would get it.
Do I need a new will? I would get it updated. You wouldn't need to have a new will, but you would want to have it updated. And so I would go back to that. Yeah, anytime you go through a major life transition or you want to make changes to how you have your estate distributed, absolutely.
It's a good time just for that to be updated. That's going to streamline things, make it simpler. In terms of the fees, I mean, an uncontested probate or administration through appointment with no minors involved. I mean, you're talking probably less than $5,000 in probate costs. Generally, it's somewhere between $2,500 and $4,500.
But, you know, again, it's totally up to you as to what your objectives are, but both will suffice. At the end of the day, though, I absolutely would get that will updated following his death. And with the deed to my house. Both my husband and I's name are on there. Do I need to get that changed?
Does that take a lawyer? Yeah. It's a good question. I would, you know, generally it's advisable to update the deed of the property. You know, the laws say that, you know, you.
You know, are now the owner as a result of it, but you know, I don't think it's a bad idea. You would want to get an attorney to help you, you know, get that new deed recorded with the local county recorder's office. And I think that's a good idea, just to have everything current and up to date and exactly the way that it should be in light of who is currently living. I appreciate your time and thank you so much for your ministry. Thank you, Pam.
Hey, let me send you a gift just for being on the show today. There's a wonderful book called Wise Women Managing Money that was written by Miriam Neff after the passing of her husband, Bob Neff. Just about, you know, as you're stepping into this role where you're managing everything, not that you didn't manage some of it while your husband was living, but obviously you've now got all of it. And I think this will just be an encouragement to you. It was written specifically for widows as they step into this role of financial manager and steward of God's resources.
So stay on the line, Pam. We'll put wise women managing money in the mail to you, okay? God bless you all. I appreciate your program. All right, God bless you.
Big thanks to my team today, the amazing Sandy Dickinson managing our phones today, my producer Devin Patrick, Taylor Stanrich, and everybody here at Faith Phi. Certainly glad you're along with us. Come back and join us tomorrow. We'll do it all over again. We'll see you then.
Bye-bye. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.
