Theologian Dorothy Sayers once said, work is not primarily a thing one does to live. but the thing one lives to do. Hi, I'm Rob West. If God designed work before the fall and preserved it after redemption, then work is not simply what we do, it's part of who we are. Today we'll look at how scripture gives us a different picture of what work was meant to be and what it can still become.
Then it's onto your calls at 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. This is Faith in Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey. From the first pages of scripture to the last, the Bible treats work not as a necessary evil, but as a sacred calling woven into what it means to bear God's image. But if we're honest, many of us don't think about work that way.
For some, work feels like a grind to get through until the weekend arrives. For others, it's a means of identity, the ladder we climb to prove ourselves. And for others, especially in retirement, work may now look like volunteering, investing in grandkids, serving at church, or caring for aging parents. Still, in every season, scripture reframes the conversation. Our work, paid or unpaid, is an act of worship to God.
In Genesis 2:15, before sin ever entered the world, Adam was placed in the garden to work it and keep it. Work wasn't cursed, it was commissioned. It was a gift before it became a burden. And it will be a gift again in the new creation, where Revelation describes the people of God reigning with Christ, not in idleness, but in fruitful responsibility and stewarding joy. Our faith isn't merely about spiritual activities, it's about doing the everyday things with excellence, integrity, and love, because that reflects the God who creates, orders, and sustains all things.
Scripture gives us a remarkable picture of this in Exodus 31. When God commands the building of the tabernacle, He fills Bezalel with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge, and all craftsmanship, to design and build the place where His presence would dwell. Think about that. The first person in scripture explicitly filled with the Spirit wasn't a prophet or a king, it was a craftsman, a builder, a worker.
Someone God called to saw wood, form metal, and stitch fabric with excellence for His glory. Work done unto the Lord is worship. This reframes how we think about our own jobs. Whether you're grading papers late into the night, running spreadsheets in an office, raising young children at home, or volunteering at the food pantry in your retirement years, you are imaging God in your work. In Colossians 3, 23 and 24, Paul writes, Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord, not for men.
You are serving the Lord Christ. That means there are no ordinary jobs in the kingdom, only ordinary moments given extraordinary significance when they are offered to Christ. It also helps us understand why work often feels frustrating. After the fall, work was not removed, it was resisted. Thorns and thistles entered the world, symbolizing difficulty, inefficiency, and fatigue.
We still work, but now with friction. And yet the gospel doesn't erase work, it redeems it. Christ rescues not only our souls but our vocations, renewing our labor to bless others, advance good, and glorify God. This is one of the most countercultural truths in Scripture. Work is not primarily about income, but about formation.
It shapes us into the people who resemble Christ. It teaches diligence, humility, perseverance, love of neighbor, and dependence on the Spirit. It's why work matters before retirement and why it matters after. The kingdom has no unemployment line, it has only stewards, servants, and image-bearers. And here's the wonderful news: when we offer our work to God, He delights in it.
The spreadsheets, the dishes, the carpentry, the caregiving, the counseling, the volunteering, none of it is wasted when it's done unto the Lord. Your everyday work is kingdom work.
So today, perhaps the invitation is simple. Don't just go to work. Worship at work. Ask the Spirit to help you serve not for applause or promotion, but for the pleasure of the king. And remember this, what matters most is not the job you have, but the God you serve through it.
This vision of work as worship is something we explore more deeply in my new devotional, Our Ultimate Treasure. It's a 21-day journey into what faithful stewardship really looks like, not just with money, but with everything God entrusts to us. You can order an individual copy today or place a bulk order for your church or small group at faithphi.com slash shop. That's faithfi.com slash shop. All right, your calls are next.
800-525-7000. Don't go anywhere. We're just getting started. The freedom you're looking for may begin with one question. How much is enough?
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This institution is not federally insured. Uh I'm so glad you're with us today on Faith and Finance. You know, one of the things I love doing is celebrating where God is at work in your lives and how He's using this program to point you to not only His Word, but to trusted resources. And Jeremy's got a testimony. Jeremy, tell us what's going on in your life.
Hey, brother Rob, man. I just, I'm so grateful today. I called you a few months ago.
So, I was struggling to make all my credit card payments each month for the past couple of years, and I heard on the radio you were talking about Christian credit counseling.
So, I called in. you recommended it to me and you asked me to call back in to let you know how it's going.
Well, praise God, they were able to cut my debt down like so much. They got the interest rate from 35% down to like 9%. Come on. Not only am I going to. Honor God by paying my debt in full, but I'm like, uh Paying so much less per month, and I was able to buy a new car because of all the savings.
So, I'm very grateful and I'm appreciative.
So, thank you so much, brother Rob.
Well, I'm so thrilled to hear that, Jeremy. I won't have them add that to the website just yet. If you use Christian Credit Counselors, you'll be able to buy a new car. But I'm joking. I'm so thrilled to hear that because you know, this is my preferred way to get out of debt.
Because, to your point, you pay it in full, so you honor your obligation, which is different from debt settlement where you stop paying and get it into collections and try to negotiate it down. But that level payment combined with that dramatic reduction in the interest rate, in your case, 30 plus down to nine, is just a game changer. And it gets you going. And I think the other key is it doesn't happen overnight. And I think that's a good thing because, you know, so often, if you have a quick fix, like a consolidation loan where you just come and wipe them out and the payment goes down with a lower interest rate, it's almost Too easy in the sense that you don't do the hard work to fix what got you there in the first place.
Now, in some cases, it was an extenuating circumstance, a medical event, or something like that. I'm not talking about that. But when it's lifestyle spending or lifestyle creep beyond your means, and that debt just builds up over time, we've got to fix the budget and do the hard work to pare the spending down so that we can, you know, once you get out of debt, never go back there again. How are you feeling now that you're either on track to or you've paid it all off? And what changes have you made in your financial life?
Well, I've cut back on everything. I went to a less expensive cell phone plan, all kinds of things I've been cutting back on. I had to buy a new vehicle, and I wouldn't have been able to afford one before, but there's like $200 left a month on paying in credit cards now.
So that's great. Yeah, excellent.
Well, listen, really appreciate you calling and sharing that story. We love our friends at ChristianCreditCounselors.org. They've been wonderful partners. They love Jesus. They love helping people get out of debt.
And this, of course, is my preferred way to do it: debt management.
So, Jeremy, thanks for your story, sir. Yes, sir. All right. Lord bless you. 800-525-7,000.
That is awesome.
So good to hear. When you have those stories where, you know, perhaps you've made a change in your financial life or you've been able to take advantage of one of our resources or you called in and got some advice and it worked out for you. Even if it doesn't work out for you, let us know. We love those stories. 800-525-7,000.
Hopefully, it does work out for you. Let's head to Michigan. Dennis, go ahead. Hi, Rob. Thanks for taking the call.
Of course. A question on life insurance. I just turned seventy. Um and I misspoke when I told your screener that uh I didn't have insurance. I've actually got life insurance.
We've had a twenty five about twenty five year policy for a quarter million on me. for the last twenty five years, and it ends may twenty seventh, which is my birthday of this year. And we're questioning on we could get a ten year level term for You know, about just under $70, or we could get some whole life for not as much, you know. Um fifteen thousand or or or twenty thousand, you know, for a bit more. Oh no.
And we're on fixed income. I we both are social. She's got a small pension. I got a small pension. We're at about Forty two to forty five thousand a year between both of us.
Of course, my concern is The 10-year, of course, I'm 80 years old. You know, we're banking that, you know, I could, I could live, you know. Past that, yeah, maybe not, but uh, or we could. put it in some kind of a fund. But I'm just I just want to take care of my wife.
We could probably gather up if we gathered up all of our cash and our investments, we could probably grab one hundred thousand dollars. It's So that's about what we have with with our finances right now. Got it. Yeah, so this is a great question and one that comes up often in this season of life. And it really begs the primary question, which is, you know, just do I need life insurance and what is the purpose of it?
So life insurance is meant to replace lost income or pay off debt or protect dependents. And so, what financial risk or problem would exist if you died tomorrow? And so we've got to test that in your situation. We'd start with income. You're both already drawing Social Security.
You've got household income of $45,000 a year. Your death, let's say, would reduce that income. But your wife would likely keep The higher of the two as a survivor benefit, and her expenses would go down. Debt would be the second issue.
Well, the home's paid off and you have no other debt, so that's not an issue. Dependents, I don't hear you saying you have any dependent children relying on the income.
So I think there's really a question as to: is there even a need for life insurance at this point? Term insurance at 70 is going to be very expensive. It's going to be temporary coverage, to your point, if you outlive. You know, if you live beyond 80 on a 10-year policy at this point, you've just kind of thrown that money away. And therefore, it'll never pay out.
So, term is usually when you're younger, when you're working, you have income to replace, and you have a clear end date for the risk. Whole life, the challenge is premiums are very high at 70. It's going to take years to break even, the money's locked up, and the returns are typically pretty modest.
So I would say kind of at the end of the day. I would rather you just focus on understanding what income your wife would have if you were to pre-decease her, which most of us guys will, and then confirm that her expenses are going to be manageable with that one higher Social Security check, the higher of the two, and then build a cash buffer, perhaps in part using what you would be sending to that life insurance premium. And then as a part of that, you could think about final expense planning just to make sure she knows there's a dedicated savings and there's pre-planning arrangements and that kind of thing. But if you don't need life insurance and I'm not hearing a clear reason for it, I would encourage you not to buy it just to have it.
Okay.
So, a good growth fund or something, if we were to take the money that we would put in, let's say $75 a month. put it into we do have some investments just maybe go to our financial advisor and maybe just sock that away every month and just Go that row. I think so. You know, unless you don't have an emergency fund or a specific fund for final expenses and you want to just put that in money market to build that up. But if you've got plenty of liquid cash reserves, then yeah, just putting that money to work would be a great use for it.
Okay, all right. All right. Well, I think that's it, Rob. We're yeah, let's uh you've answered a lot of questions for us. And uh yeah, life insurance is not cheap when you hit when you hit our age.
So But um we're We're looking at uh, you know, just making sure that we we're covered and uh we will go over the numbers again and make sure that everything's uh good. And then maybe we'll just, like you say, sock this money away that we're gonna put into a life insurance policy and go that route and invest it. Yeah, very good. I think that's the right move here, but I appreciate your call. Thanks for being on the program.
Call anytime. All right, a quick break and then back with more of your questions just around the corner. Call right now, 800-525-7000. We'll be right back on Faith and Finance. As the leading advocate for the Christian financial industry, Kingdom Advisors serves the public by promoting the integration of a biblical worldview across every aspect of the financial services industry.
And we serve a growing network of thousands of Christian financial professionals, equipping and empowering them to carry biblical financial wisdom to their clients, peers, and community. For more information, visit kingdomadvisors.com. That's kingdomadvisors.com. 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 impacts.
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Let's go to Chattanooga. Hi, Christy. Go right ahead. Yes, hi. I hope you can clarify something for me.
Someone told me that I can collect on my husband's social security. I am 68, he's 61 working. And my benefits are really low. I was a stay-at-home mom, didn't have a lot of work. experience out of the home.
So is that true?
Well, you can get up to 50% of your husband's benefit by claiming spousal benefits, but he must already be taking benefits for you to be eligible.
So if you think about this in terms of, you know, one of our go-to guys on this explains it like he's got to walk through the door before you can. And so you're not eligible until he begins taking benefits.
So we both would be getting benefits at the same time? Yes. Uh-huh.
So he starts taking benefits on his record. And then once he does, that makes you eligible for benefits as a spouse. But the benefits, the max you can get is 50% of his, and that's only if you're full retirement age. If you're under that, then you're going to be reduced below 50%. But yes, you would be collecting your spousal benefit.
He would be collecting his full retirement benefit, and you would get both of them. And the amount depends on your age at which you begin taking it. I hope that helps. Thanks, Christy. Let's head up to New York.
Maria, go ahead. I just wanted you to address the issue of if the dollar reserve was taken away from the United States as most people are fearmongering about or whatever with all of this turbulent economic stuff. And I would like you to address that too. And how it will affect people with a modest retirement portfolio who are in their seventies already like myself. Yeah, it's a great question.
You know, there has been a lot of talk about the reserve status, and especially as of late, the dollar's been on the decline recently, and then we've got all these geopolitical tensions. And we are seeing some trade moves being made that have been a long time in the making that seem like they've materialized as of late just because of some of the uncertainty related to the U.S. and tariffs. And all of that is kind of restoking some of these conversations about the reserve status. It really isn't something I'm concerned about in the sense that it's extremely unlikely that the U.S.
would have some sort of sudden loss of U.S. dollar reserve status, even though it's more of a de facto status than a real status. Countries talk about alternatives, but talk is not the same as a legitimate replacement. And even if the dollar's dominance gradually declines, it would be slow. It would be Uneven, it wouldn't be a collapse, and portfolios could adapt.
Basically, what it actually means when we talk about the reserve currency is that the US dollar. You know, is the reserve currency because of the practices around the U.S. dollar.
So, global trade is priced in U.S. dollars, commodities are priced in dollars, global debt rely on dollars. U.S. has deep liquid capital markets and a strong rule of law, and no other currency currently checks all of those boxes.
So, we're kind of the reserve currency in part because of who we are, but also in part because there's no other alternative that's viable at this point. You know, maybe the closest would be the Euro, but that's really still an experiment. I mean, that's a large economy and it's widely used in trade with a stable institution, but there's no single fiscal authority. I mean, there's 27 countries with different budgets, they have a fragmented bond market, and there's a lot of political strains between the member nations.
So, I don't think it's a viable replacement. I think the Japanese yen. Is not a viable replacement. Very low interest rates, massive government debt. A long-term demographic decline.
And then the British pound would be too small of an economy.
So there's just really not. I mean, China is not, I think, viable because of the government intervention and the lack of transparency. Investors can't freely exit it.
So there just really isn't a viable alternative there, Maria.
So I think from that standpoint, the U.S., despite the rest of the world's desire to see a more diversified approach, I just don't think there's anything that's viable there.
Okay.
Thank you so very much. But is there because of that, you are optimistic about it.
So there's no need to really like uh panic, right? I mean, to be affected by the fear mongering stuff. I think that's right. You know, ultimately, God is on the throne and our trust needs to be in Him. You know, if the messages of this world, including the fear-mongering, are getting you down, I'd shut those down and turn up God's voice and spend more time in God's word.
You know, we know the end of the story, and he wins and will be victorious over Satan and this world. He has conquered death, and he is in control. And that doesn't mean we'll be without challenges and pain. And the effects of sin are real. But our hope is in Christ.
And ultimately, we need to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us, which means looking to his word. We don't bury the talents we've been given. We can put them to work because we have trust in the master, which is really the parable of the talents. You know, the one servant that was scolded, you know, didn't put it to work. And I think it was a fear and his view of God ultimately and a lack of trust that caused him to shrink back.
And I think because we know that we can trust God, that he is our provider and no one else, it allows us to take what he's given and move forward in faith. And put it to work in ways that's wise and shrewd and God-honoring, even investing in the midst of all these geopolitical tensions and everything going on around us, we can step forward in faith because ultimately we know who it belongs to and who's in control. Does that make sense? Yes, it makes sense, the entire thing. And thank you for explaining the elements that will still make the United States the stronger Dollar, the stronger reserve for the world.
Thank you so much. And I like the biblical piece as well. Thank you. Thank you so very much. Absolutely, Maria.
Thank you for calling today. Be encouraged. And thanks for tuning in. You know, together, we recognize money as a tool to accomplish God's purposes. It's a test because it can rival our hearts.
So we need to make sure that we have it squarely under the lordship of Christ, but it's also a testimony to the world. You know, the way we hold it loosely and give it generously, even in the midst of the uncertainty, is a testimony to a watching world that wants to know whether or not our faith is real. And may we live boldly today in that regard and put that on full display for the watching world. Thanks for being on the program today, Maria. Big thanks to my team today: Sandy, Devin, Taylor, and everybody here at Faith By.
We'll see you next time. Bye-bye. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you. Uh
