This Faith and Finance podcast is underwritten in part by The Good Investor, a book by Robin John. This Faith and Work memoir hopes to inspire readers to view their work and investments as opportunities to honor God and bring blessing to the world. You can learn more now at goodinvestor.com. That's goodinvestor.com. We live in a world overflowing with stuff.
and messages about stuff. I'm Rob West. Everywhere you look, someone promises that the next purchase or financial milestone will finally bring joy. But scripture offers a far better and far more freeing vision for how believers relate to money and possessions. Today, we're talking about materialism and putting things in their proper place.
And then it's on to your calls at 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. This is Faith and Finance: biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. We've all heard the saying money can't buy happiness, but it's still easy to live as if it can. When life feels overwhelming, we often reach for the nearest distraction, a purchase, an upgrade, or a new financial goal that we hope will finally bring peace.
But Scripture never teaches that possessions are bad. In fact, Paul says in First Timothy six seventeen that God richly provides us with everything to enjoy. And Ecclesiastes five nineteen adds, When God gives someone wealth and possessions and the ability to enjoy them, this is a gift of God. Joy in God's good gifts is not unspiritual. Beauty, comfort, and experiences can all be received gratefully.
The problem isn't things, it's the place things occupy in our hearts. That's where materialism begins. Not when we have things, but when things begin to have us. Materialism is the subtle belief that created things can give what only the Creator can provide: meaning, identity, security, and purpose. Jesus understood this deeply.
He talked about money so much, not because he worried about the money itself, but because he cared for our hearts. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. He said in Matthew 6. If material things become our deepest treasure, our hearts will always be restless. Things were never designed to satisfy the human soul.
So how do we enjoy God's gifts without becoming dependent on them?
Well, first, we recognize the difference between enjoyment and dependence. Enjoyment says, Father, thank you for this gift. Dependence says, if I lose this, I'll lose myself. enjoyment frees, dependents enslaves. That's why gratitude is so powerful.
Gratitude acknowledges that every good thing ultimately flows from the hand of a loving God. When we see everything as a gift, we stop expecting it to carry weight it was never meant to bear. generosity also breaks the grip of materialism. When you give, you declare that your hope is not in accumulation. You remember that God owns it all, and that your joy is rooted in Him, not in what you hold.
But here's the nuance we want to emphasize today. Rejecting materialism does not mean rejecting material things. Christians are not called to asceticism. Scripture never tells us that joy comes from owning nothing or refusing every good thing. Instead, Scripture warns us against the illusion that anything, even abundance, can become enough apart from God.
That's why Ecclesiastes presents both truths: God gives possessions and the ability to enjoy them. That's grace. Yet, whoever loves money never has enough. The craving for more is never satisfied by feeding it. Contentment doesn't come from changing your circumstances, it comes from anchoring your joy in Jesus, who never changes.
So, here are three simple questions that can help keep materialism at bay. First, do I enjoy this gift with gratitude, or do I feel anxious without it? Second, does this possession help me love God and others, or distract me from them? And third, am I more excited about having this thing or about how God may want me to use it? When we put things in their proper place, they become blessings instead of burdens.
They point us to the God who provides rather than pulling us away from Him. And the irony is this: the less we depend on things for happiness, the more we're actually free to enjoy them. Yes, things are good. God made a world rich with color, beauty, taste, and texture. He's given each of us resources and opportunities to steward and enjoy.
But things are not ultimate. They're not a source of life. They're not our savior. Only God is. And when we get that right, when our joy is rooted in the giver, not the gift, we discover the contentment our hearts were made for.
So as we think about putting things in their proper place and treasuring God above all else, let me take a moment to invite you into something that helps others do exactly that. We're nearing the year end, and I want to remind you when you make a gift to FaithFi, it will be doubled. Just head to faithfi.com/slash give and a gift of any amount as our thank you will ensure that you receive my new devotional our ultimate treasure much more just around the corner stay with us 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. Faith in Finance is thankful for support from The Good Investor, a book by Robin John. In this book, Robin shares his journey from an immigrant child struggling in school to co-founder and CEO of Eventide Asset Management, a faith-based investment firm. This Faith and Work memoir seeks to inspire readers to view their work and investments as opportunities to honor God and bring blessing to the world.
More information is available at goodinvestor.com. That's goodinvestor.com. Uh Oh.
So glad to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. We're looking forward to taking your questions today. If there's something happening in your financial life, this is the place to go today. 800-525-7000 is the number to call. 800-525-7000.
We do have some lines open at the moment that will probably not last.
So, this is your chance to get right through and we'll begin taking those calls here in just a moment. Again, that number, 800-525-7,000. All right, let's head to the phones. We're going to go to Wyoming first. Russ, thanks for calling.
Go ahead. Hey, Rob. What wisdom can you share with me around Whether or not or when you might give your kids a car. I've got three, they're 16, 18, 20. We've always lived 30 miles from the school, so we've always provided a car.
for all their activities and and sports and stuff they had to do. I'm wondering Is there a stage where it's a good idea to actually then give them that car just so they can grow in responsibility as far as now it's their own dime and? taking care of a vehicle. Yeah, yeah, I love that.
So, would the plan be to do this? How many children do you have? There's three. There's a junior and a senior in high school, and then a sophomore in college. All right.
And then would your plan be, assuming you decided to go ahead with this, to make that gift of an automobile to each of the children at a certain age, or what are you thinking? Camille, that's a really good question. I don't know what you think. Yeah. They all so the two older ones have one we've provided.
Okay. The younger one, not yet. He's the there's we have one actually, another vehicle that Well, we could.
So I could actually give all three of them. They're all older vehicles. They're all good vehicles. They're probably worth $15,000 a piece. Got it.
Yeah, very good. Yeah, I mean, you know, I think ultimately, I mean, this is a really meaningful milestone, but I love the fact that you're thinking through this carefully because I think that's what is warranted here. I don't think there's a right or wrong approach to this. You know, our approach in our household has been we provide an automobile and, you know, they've shared along the way, but it's at our cost. They pay for the gas, but we provide the car, but it's not automatically theirs.
And it's a privilege, not a right, to get to use the car. When you use it, you're going to pay for the gas. And so, you know, they've had part-time jobs along the way and have saved money in other ways to be able to use it. I cover the insurance, but it's just based on your maturity and your responsibility. And so if you're making good decisions and, you know, doing what you need to do, then you get use of the car.
If you don't, you know, that can be taken away at any time.
Now, When they get to the point where they want a car of their own, we're willing to go in on that with them and make it a shared responsibility. And they have to participate and they know that we'll go up to a certain amount if they want to purchase their first car that would be theirs. None of us have them have taken us up on it yet. They've just been driving our cars and managing that. But my oldest is about to get married.
He's about to graduate from college and he's potentially going to buy one of our cars from us, which we would do at a pretty significant discount, which would be that equivalent of the shared responsibility.
So I don't think there's a right or wrong approach here. I think it starts with maturity, not money. And I think ownership matters. And one of the healthiest approaches, I think, is a shared responsibility where you might go in on it with them, but you're teaching, you know, stewardship and a work ethic and gratitude as they. You know, work for and participate in the car and perhaps even care for it a little bit more than they might have otherwise because they have some money invested in it too.
I don't think it should ever derail your finances, but if you have the ability to do it, I think at the end of the day, you can use it as a discipleship moment. You know, a car is a tool, it can serve the family and help them work and build independence, but you want to frame it in terms of responsibility and stewardship, not an entitlement. And, you know, I think at the end of the day, as long as you have those things in mind, whether you ultimately gift them the car or you ask them to participate in it, I don't think you can go wrong there. I think a lot of that just comes down to, you know, how much do you value them having some skin in the game, number one? And then, number two, do your finances allow you to make it an outright gift?
And if so, then again, I don't think there's necessarily anything bad about that. But does that all make sense? It does.
So, then your oldest that's in college, then did he utilize one of your vehicles then through school, through college? Yeah. So, what we did there is, you know, he was living on campus and, you know, just said, I don't think I need a car. And, you know, we he was fine on campus, just kind of walking the campus and, you know, had a lot of friends with cars. And, you know, they would, he'd ride to church every Sunday with a buddy of his and, you know, that kind of thing.
Now, when my second one arrived on campus, there is now a car on campus that they kind of share and use, you know, on the weekends and that kind of thing. And it's parked at one of my kids' homes.
So, yeah, he just decided I don't need a car. And so, therefore, you know, I'm going to save my money for other things. And, you know, he's made it work. You know, there might be other kids or certain campuses where that's not as possible just because they're not as walkable or for safety reasons. They need to, you know, have transportation.
And I think at that point, you'd have to decide: okay, are we going to provide the family car?
Now on campus because they're out, you know, they're not full-time at home? Or is that the opportunity where we say, okay, if you want to take a car to college, you know, either A, I'm going to gift it to you, or B, we're going to share it, you know, and you need to have some skin in the game. But that's where we trigger that decision, if that makes sense. Kantaz, very good. Hey, I really appreciate that.
And it makes a lot of sense. Awesome. You sound like a great dad, Russ. Appreciate you being on the program. Call anytime.
God bless you. Virginia is where we're headed next. David, go ahead. Um a bunch of years back, um I had a debt. Of about $17,000 on a credit card.
And I heard about Trinity debt management, and I called, and I've been paying on it for. Of several years. I'm probably down to around six or seven thousand. And I and I I listened to your show, and I know you had mentioned a debt management that you use or it's yours or it's on your show. It was And I was wondering, should I or could I, you know.
Switch from Trinity to yours if it's a lower interest, because I think I'm just under. 10%. Yeah, yeah. No, a debt management program is a debt management program. And I mean, I want you to be with a trusted provider, especially one who has a faith alignment.
And even though our longtime partners here at Faith and Finance are the folks at Christian Credit Counselors, ChristianCredit Counselors.org, Trinity is very well known and trusted as well. And if you're in the debt management program at the creditors that you have accounts with, you're going to get the credit counseling rate, whether you're with Trinity or Christian Credit Counselors.
So there wouldn't be any reason to move from one to the other. Excellent. Thank you very much. All right. We appreciate your call.
Thanks for being on the program today. 800-525-7,000 is the number to call. We do have room for you.
So if there's something going on in your financial life today and you'd like to get in on the conversation, go ahead and call right now. That number again, 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. Hey, let me mention as we head toward year end, let me just encourage you: if you listen to the program regularly, we could really use your financial assistance as we head toward December 31st. And what an opportunity to support the ministry because we have some incredible things coming up next year.
A brand new edition of the Faith Fi app that you're going to love. My new devotional comes out in January. And right now, when you give, every gift is doubled up to $175,000. And every gift gets a copy of my new devotional as well. Just go to faith5.com/slash give.
That's faithfi.com/slash give. We'll be right back. What if managing your money could actually draw you closer to God? What would happen if we began to see God as our ultimate treasure? The Faith Buy App helps you do more than budget.
It helps you integrate your faith and financial decisions for the glory of God. With easy-to-use envelope futures, top biblical financial content, and a supportive in-app community, you'll learn to steward God's resources wisely and grow in generosity. Download the Faith Buy app today from your app store or visit FaithBuy.com and click app. We're grateful for support from Movement Mortgage, who provides residential home loans in all 50 states. Guided by a mission to love and value people and a goal to redefine the mortgage process, Movement seeks to help others achieve their financial goals.
You can find out more at movement.com slash faith. Movement Mortgage LLC supports Equal Housing Opportunity, NMLS number 39179. For licensing information, please visit NMLSconsumerAccess.org. Um Great to have you with us today on Faith and Finance. Here in our final segment, I've got room for perhaps one or two additional questions.
That number to call to be on the program today: 800-525-7,000. Whatever you're thinking about in your financial life, we'd love to tackle it with you. Let's go to Texas. David, go ahead. Yes, thank you for taking my call.
My wife and I have been married going on 42 years. We've always. been strong in tithing and beyond tithing, trying to be very generous in our giving. We are now in a season where inheritances from parents who are passing or beginning to come our way. And we find ourselves kind of at two different ends of the spectrum, not extreme ends, but my question is this.
As we look at inheritance, I see it as this is a gift from our parents, just like If our parents gave us a gift of $500 at Christmas, We don't look at that and say we need to tithe on it. We can always be generous and say, let's give some of this to the Lord's work, but. Um that's a gift. I see inheritance as the same way that this is a gift from our parents, money they've made, money they've. path zones or so forth.
Yeah. My point is, let's be generous and ask the Lord if He would have us. To share some of this for his work and his kingdom work, but I don't feel impelled that we need to say. any inheritance that comes, we need to automatically give 10% of that.
So I just wanted to get your insight and how you would teach or approach. the whole aspect of Tithon from Family inheritance. Yeah, that's great, David. Boy, a really phenomenal question. And I appreciate that it comes from a place of wanting to honor the Lord.
You know, scripture calls us to give our first fruits back to the Lord, acknowledging that everything we receive ultimately comes from Him. And I would say an inheritance is no exception. You know, we didn't earn it through work, but it's still an increase. And that's really the idea of the principle of the tithe is based on an increase, which is a blessing entrusted to each of us. You know, for many believers, tithing on an inheritance, I would say, becomes a meaningful act of gratitude for God's provision and a way to honor the legacy of the one who passed it on.
That said, the Bible doesn't give a specific command about tithing. On an inheritance, I would say this is an area of personal conviction and joyful generosity, not legalism.
Some choose to tithe on the full amount, others tithe only on what they keep after settling expenses and if there's any taxes or dividing the estate. Others give beyond the tithe because the gift feels especially significant. I think the key is your heart and you want to approach it prayerfully, I think, with a desire to worship God through your giving. You know, as we look at the idea of the tithe in Scripture, I mean, we see the word 49 times, but interestingly, as we look in the New Testament, you know, there's basically 21 chapters in scripture that have the most rich, convicting teachings on money by Jesus, John, and Matthew and Paul and James. And when you look at these passages, you know, the tithe was mentioned absolutely zero times.
Now, it's there four times in the New Testament, but each time it's a side note. In a conversation about something else. And that may be surprising to some people, just given that stewardship teaching in the church today is often centered on tithing. But I would also say that despite the fact that I don't think it's there as the minimum standard for giving in the New Testament, I would say the tithe, giving a tenth on the increase, is still a helpful way to step into faithful, consistent generosity because really there is much more to the picture of New Testament stewardship. I mean, it really encourages us to evaluate our heart posture rather than a specific set of rules.
And I would say those of us who have seen what Jesus has done on our behalf on the cross should be, you know, willing to give even more. And that's why I think Randy Alcorn calls the tithe the training wheels of giving.
So, you know, if we're going to give systematically and proportionately and even sacrificially, you know, I would say as God provides, we then, out of gratitude for what he's done and the grace he's extended to us, Us, we give, and I think the tithe is a great place to start. But again, I don't think it's out of a check-the-box legalism approach. It's really out of an approach that says, I want to give as unto the Lord as God prospers me. And all of your increase would be in play for that, including the inheritance. But ultimately, I think it's between you and your wife and the Lord to kind of pray through it and decide how you want to approach it.
Does that make sense at all? It does, and that's very helpful. And where I'm wrestling is. Um I've always wanted we've always tried to go above and beyond.
So we want to maintain a heart of gratitude and generosity. It's caused me to wrestle a little bit with just a quick example.
Well, what if I'll just make it up? What if my mother passes away and she leaves me her vehicle that's worth $25,000, just as an example?
Well, normally I wouldn't be thinking, okay, that's an increase, so I need to tie that $25,000 car's value. Maybe I should. And so I've just been trying to think through, you know, there's gifts that we receive that aren't money, but they're still worth value. And You know, so yeah, so I've just been kind of trying to wrestle through You know, but your perspective, that's where my wife's coming from. And so.
That that's helpful, just reinforcing that understanding.
Well, but what I would say to that point, which is a great example about the illiquid car, meaning you have an asset, is it an increase? Yes. But is it convertible to cash?
Well, not unless it's sold. But I think that's again where if we view the 10% tithe as a historic benchmark of generosity, not as a legal requirement, You know, then we can say, okay, the practice still offers guidance today, but again, it's not about a legal minimum standard because we don't want to tip into a legalism mentality. We want to stay out of a posture of gratitude and we give as an overflow of our gratitude to God, not because God is an accountant and he's looking at every gift and determining whether or not we've given on it.
So I think the car is a great example where you might say, you know what, when we convert this asset to cash, we're going to give on it. But ultimately, that's between you and the Lord. Right. Hey, thank you. This has been very helpful.
What I needed to hear, and I appreciate your wisdom and input. Absolutely, David. Thanks for your call. Anytime. Hey, before we round out the broadcast today, let me remind you, this is a critical time of year for us to hear from you as a listener-supported ministry.
We have a goal between now and the end of the year. And the exciting part is every gift is doubled up to $175,000. We're not there yet, but you can help us reach the goal. Just head to faithby.com slash give and with a gift of any amount, we'll send you my new devotional, our ultimate treasure, when it comes out early next year. Hey, a big thanks to my team today.
We don't do this without that amazing group of men and women. May God bless you and we'll see you next time. Faith in Finance is provided by Faith By and listeners like you.
