Money touches every part of our lives, our fears, our hopes, and the things that we trust most. That's why scripture speaks so often about it. In the devotional, Our Ultimate Treasure, Rob West guides you through a thoughtful 21-day journey into faithful stewardship, helping you move beyond budgets and balances to the heart behind your financial decisions. Each day includes scripture, reflection, and prayer, inviting you to see money not as something to cling to, but as a tool God uses to shape us, free us, and bless others. If you're looking for greater clarity, contentment, and purpose for how you steward what God has given you, this devotional is for you.
Our ultimate treasure, written by Rob West, is available now at faithfy.com/slash shop. Uh You can't serve God and money, but you can serve God with money. Hi, I'm Rob West. Most of us don't wake up wanting to serve money, but it's easy for financial pressure and financial goals to quietly shape our lives. Today we'll look at how scripture frees us to see money not as something to chase, but as a tool God gives us to accomplish his purposes.
And 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 decisions. One of the most common questions I hear is: What's the biblical approach to money? And it's a great question because the Bible talks about money a lot.
More than 2,300 verses touch on wealth, possessions, generosity, and stewardship. And one of the clearest principles is this: money itself is not the goal, it's a tool. First, scripture reminds us that money is a gift. Ecclesiastes 5.19 says, Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, this is the gift of God. In other words, God isn't against provision or enjoyment.
When he provides, we're meant to receive his gift with gratitude. We see this clearly when Jesus feeds the 5,000 in Matthew 14. Not only does he meet their immediate need, but scripture tells us there were 12 baskets of leftovers. The point isn't excess. It's that God's provision is generous.
He delights in caring for his people. But here's where things get tricky. Money may be a gift, but it also carries spiritual weight, it reveals what we trust. Paul warns in 1 Timothy 6.10, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. Notice he doesn't say money itself is evil, it's the love of money when we look to it for security, identity, or peace that leads us astray.
Money is morally neutral, but how we use it is deeply spiritual. Every spending decision, every saving decision, every act of generosity asks a question, what am I trusting right now, God or money? And that leads to the third truth. Money is meant for kingdom impact. Ephesians 4.28 tells us we should work so that we may have something to share with anyone in need.
We don't earn simply to accumulate. We earn so we can provide, plan wisely, and bless others. Think about that shift. Work isn't just survival. It's participation in God's generosity.
Saving isn't fear, it's preparation. Investing isn't greed. It can be stewardship when it supports future generosity and responsibility. And practically speaking, this can show up in small everyday ways. Choosing generosity when budgets feel tight, planning ahead so you're not burdened by debt, or creating margins so you're ready when God places a need in front of you.
Over time, those small decisions shape both our finances and our hearts. In other words, money becomes powerful when it flows outward rather than being hoarded inward. Jesus himself said in Luke 16, 13, you cannot serve God and money. But notice, he doesn't say money is useless. Instead, he makes clear that money must be placed in its proper role, servant, not master.
In his sermon, The Use of Money, John Wesley said that money is an excellent gift of God, answering the noblest ends. In the hands of his children, it's food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked. It gives to the traveler and the stranger where to lay his head. That's a beautiful picture of money redeemed, money used for eternal purposes. And here's the freeing truth: money is temporary.
1 Timothy 6:7 reminds us: We brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. Every dollar we manage is temporary, but how we use it can have an eternal impact. When we remember that, we hold money loosely. We enjoy God's provision without being controlled by it. We plan wisely without placing our hope in wealth, and we give generously because we know God is the true provider.
So, before your next financial decision, whether it's spending, saving, investing, or giving, try a different question: Lord, how can this money serve you and others? Because money is never the destination, it's simply a tool God places in our hands to accomplish something far greater than ourselves. This is a key theme I explore in my devotional Our Ultimate Treasure, a 21-day journey that helps you use money as a tool rather than a treasure so it finds its proper place in your life. You can get your copy or order copies for your church or small group at faithfi.com/slash shop. That's faithfi.com/slash shop.
All right, your calls are next. The number 800-525-7000. I'm Rob West, and you're listening to Faith and Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. We'll be right back after this break. What if your money struggles aren't really about money at all, but about what your heart treasures most?
That's the focus of Our Ultimate Treasure, a 21-day devotional written by Rob West. Through daily readings grounded in scripture, he invites you to discover the freedom that comes when God, not money, becomes your source of peace, security, and joy. You can pick up your copy or place a bulk order at faithphy.com and click shop. Rising health insurance rates are pricing millions out of the market, and Christian Healthcare Ministries is here to help. CHM is affordable assurance, allowing believers to share the burden of medical bills together.
You get simple, low-cost pricing regardless of health history or location. Plus, you can enroll at any time with no contracts. Break free from the huge costs and hidden fees of traditional health insurance. Learn more at faithfy.com/slash CHM. I'm so glad you joined us today on Faith and Finance.
Whatever your questions are today, anything in your financial life, we've got lines open. You can call right now, 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. Our team is standing by. Hey, before we dive in today, you know, living out stewardship principles.
Has pretty significant implications. You know, starting with this idea that God owns it all, it does change how we approach managing God's money. Because it acknowledges that we're not an owner, we're a manager with responsibilities to honor the master's wishes. And when we look to those principles, a lot of times we get questions from folks saying, Can you just kind of boil it down? I mean, at its core, what are those ideas we find in scripture about practically handling God's money?
And I would say, once we understand God owns it all, it's really about spending less than we earn. Because that's the key to every financial success. It's about avoiding debt because that mortgages the future. It's about having margin, because that's how we fund our long-term goals. Having those long-term goals in place and giving generously, because that breaks the grip of money.
Those are the five keys.
Now let's head to the phone calls we have lined up. Let's go to Texas and Kathy. Go right ahead. Hi, Rob. Thank you so much for your ministry.
Absolutely. Thank you for calling today and for that. I have a question. I was gifted some money by my father. My mother passed away and he inherited everything.
He gifted some money to me and I want to know how to best Use it. Um And be a good steward of it, of course. But um we uh my husband and I have quite a bit of debt. And Nearing retirement, and I didn't know if we should put part of it into a CD or some kind of investment. or just focus on repaying our debt and um you know, gifting the ten percent, of course.
Yeah, very good.
Well, I love that you're thinking about giving as unto the Lord on this. And tell me a little bit more about the debt that you have, Kathy.
So my husband's business failed and we, um are about $140,000 in debt. We do o have a house that we're still mortgaged. And we have one vehicle that we're still paying for. It's been in the shop for the past month and a half because there was a recall.
So we have some issues with that. I didn't know if we needed to pay the vehicle off, if that would be the best way to go or work on some personal debt.
So the one hundred forty thousand, is that all the related to the business? Or is that kind of rolling other debts in as well? Um Most of it is actually personal loans because we used a lot of credit cards. and we pay those off with loans. I see.
Okay.
So that's where that debt comes from.
So the $140,000 is basically all personal loans, and that doesn't include your mortgage or anything else. Right.
Okay, yeah. And what is the interest rate roughly on the the loan or loans? Around ten percent.
Okay, yeah. That really needs to be our priority. Because you're not going to do 10%, certainly not guaranteed 10%, which is the return you'll get on every dollar of personal loan debt you pay off. That's equal to a 10% return. You're not going to get a guaranteed 10% return anywhere else.
So you certainly wouldn't want to invest this money while you're carrying that debt. I realize it's a big number and it probably feels like we're never going to pay it off, but we've just got to make steady progress.
So I think the priority order is: let's replenish your emergency fund if you don't have one. And let's try to get up to six months' worth of expenses in liquid savings.
So you've got something to fall back on if the unexpected comes. And hopefully we've broken the cycle of using the credit cards. And I realize there was a single event that occurred that led to that, but we want to make sure that we don't have to go back there. But once that's in place, I think the key for you all is to just start making steady progress toward that $140. 40,000.
What do you have coming following the passing of your mom?
So we have um about seventy five thousand.
Okay, yeah. And so do you have anything in emergency savings currently? No, we do not.
Okay, okay. And what do you all typically spend in a month's time? With the debt, it's usually about right under $10,000.
Okay, yeah. So and are you able to I mean, do you have enough income coming that is it like right up to the edge? Or in some months, are you spending more? Or do you have any margin? Kind of where are you at monthly?
So um I don't know how, but God has provided, and we are able to pay right now. But there were a few months where we don't even know how. How possibly we could pay And we did.
So we're really working on trying to be better stewards. Yeah. And is the personal loan, is there multiple loans? Like, could you pay off one of them? Or is it kind of all okay?
Yeah. So that might be the way to go because that's going to eliminate a payment.
So you're probably going to want to snowball these where you go, assuming they're, you know, you could go smallest to largest balance, and you know, maybe we take and put, you know, 30,000 aside in emergency savings and then take the risk and just start paying off one loan at a time. Here's what I'd like to do: I'd like to provide, if you'd be willing to take advantage of it, a few sessions with a certified Christian financial counselor. And this is somebody who's trained in stewardship and budgets and debt repayment. This is what they do. And for many of them, they're retired.
This is their ministry. But I'd love for one of our certified Christian financial counselors to come alongside you guys. We're going to pay for it.
So it won't cost you anything, Kathy. But essentially, they'll work with you to look at your income and expenses, help you develop a budget, maybe think long and hard about where your money's going because you have a great income. I mean, you all are making a lot of money, but we need to rein it in and make sure that we've got a good priority order. And that may mean stripping the budget down to the basics and then kind of rebuilding it with a focus on how quickly can we get out of debt? Because once this Debt is paid off, you're in a whole different situation.
Now we can turn our attention to, you know, building for the future so that your husband at some point, you know, may be able to redirect toward what God has for him next and you as well, paid or unpaid in retirement.
So, you know, I think getting you on a track where you've got a third party who can bring some objective analysis to your spending, help you develop that plan could really get you pointed in the right direction. How does that sound, though? Amazing. And thank you so much for doing that. Oh, I'd be delighted to.
So let's do this. I'm going to have you hold the line. My team is going to get your information. We'll get a certified Christian financial counselor in touch with you. And then give me a call back after you finish all those sessions and let me know where you landed.
I'd love to celebrate with you. Listen, it's not going to be a quick fix. It's going to take time. It's going to take some sacrifice on your part. You guys are going to need to rethink that spending plan.
But, you know, this is what's necessary for you to live as a faithful steward. It's something, you know, we all have to do in saying, all right, Lord, thank you for what you've provided for me. It all comes from you.
Now, how can I be a careful steward of what you've given me day to day, month to month? Doesn't mean you can't ever enjoy it. We want you to enjoy it. That's part of God's plan, but we want to make sure that it reflects what's truly important to you and that you're moving toward a stronger financial foundation. God bless you, Kathy.
Thanks for your call. We've still got room for you. If you've got a question today, something you're wrestling with in your financial life, we'd love to help you think about it in light of biblical. Wisdom. How do you do that?
Well, you pick up the phone, call right now, 800-525-7000. We'll be right back. Have you ever started a budget only to watch it fall apart a few weeks later? You're not alone. The FaithFi app is the leading Christian budgeting app.
Combining smart budgeting tools, automated budgeting, and personalized insights with daily rhythms of scripture, short devotionals, and guided reflection. Manage God's money God's way. Start your free 30-day trial today to lock in 25% savings for a limited time at faithfi.com slash app. Faith in Finance is thankful for support from The Good Investor, a book by Robin John. In his 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. Hey, thanks for joining us today on Faith and Finance. I'm Rob West.
We're taking your calls and questions today, 800-525-7000. You can call right now. All right, let's try to get to as many calls as we can here in this final segment today. Let's go out to Louisiana. Tony, thanks for your patience.
Go ahead. Yes, sir. Um, both my husband and I are approaching 65, and we uh both qualify for Social Security because we pay in. We've been told at 65 we need to start taking it, even though God willing we will continue to work because we both love our jobs and want to stay working. But also, I work at a school and I qualify for teacher retirement.
So I'm wondering, like Would I need like a certified Christian counselor or like a CKA if that's two different things? Or who would I need to talk to about? Like, would I take Social Security? Would it be better to take teacher retirement? And someone that could point me in the right direction on how to Utilize our retirement.
Yes.
Well, I love this. Thanks for that background, Tony. And I love that you and your husband love your work. You know, God created us to be workers, and what a gift it is. We can do things we love, that we were wired to do, to be productive, to bless others, and to do that in a way that just brings enjoyment and glory to God when we use our gifts and talents for Him.
So that's just fabulous. And I love that you're thinking about your future and when is the right time to take Social Security and how does that play into the other retirement assets that you have? What a gift that you're in that place. To answer your question, yes, this is where a certified kingdom advisor could be really helpful because you're not necessarily looking for investment management at this point, although you may be in the future. You're really looking for what we would call comprehensive financial planning.
So, this is probably a certified kingdom advisor who's also a certified financial planner, and many are, that would come in on a one-time engagement where you do a planning session, and maybe you meet one or two times, and then they would come back to you with a comprehensive financial plan. And then maybe you'd check in once a year or a couple of times a year after that. They could really analyze your situation, look at your income and your expenses, what assets do you have, look at your Social Security record in terms of what's coming to you. Hear more about your plans and where God is leading you all and what your desires are in the future in terms of any major savings projects, how long you plan to work, all of those things. And then come back with an analysis on, yeah, here's the best time to take Social Security because it starts with your full retirement age, where you can get what is coming to you, the full amount of what's coming to you based on your work record and what's called your.
You're high 35, and that's your 35 highest years of earnings that determines your monthly benefit. And unless you wait until that full retirement age, which is probably close to or at 67, you're not going to get that full amount. But then if you wait beyond that, and a lot of times it makes sense to do that if you're working and you're in good health and you have longevity in your family, you can get an 8% increase to that check every year until age 70.
So you could get checks 25% higher than what you were going to get at full retirement age for the rest of your life, which if you live into your 90s and a lot of people do, could be really helpful down the road to have that increased check. It'll take you about 12 years to get paid back for it. But then from that point, you're making more money from Social Security.
Now, if you decided to take it early, then you're going to get less. And that would all be a part of the analysis.
So, yeah, I would head to findacka.com, Tony. You can find a certified kingdom advisor and just tell them you're looking for retirement planning. And that really is what your need is. And they would typically do that on a flat fee, you know, per engagement basis.
Okay.
Thank you so very much. I'll do that. Excellent. Lord bless you, Tony. Call anytime if I can help.
And again, that website is findaca.com. Let's head to Louisiana. Blaine, you'll be next up. Go ahead. So I have a question about my father-in-law passed away about a month ago.
And so I'm helping my mother-in-law navigate through it all. And they've got about six credit cards, about $11,000 worth of debt. And she was just asking me what she should do. She's called several of the companies, and they said they could stop it, but she still has to pay the remaining balance, but it won't cure any interest.
So she was wondering if she should do that or just do a debt consolidation and try to get it all in one note. Yeah, I wouldn't do that.
So they've all said that be because of his passing, that they're going to freeze the interest. Is that right? That's what she told me they said.
Okay.
Yeah. So you just want to confirm that. I'm not saying she's mistaken necessarily, but I just, that's a big part of this. Because if you didn't have that option, I would say I would contact our friends at ChristianCreditCounselors.org and considering this, putting this in a debt management program. In either case, I wouldn't do a loan consolidation because if you took out a new loan at this point and rolled up all the debt into a new loan, you're certainly not going to have the interest frozen there.
That new lender is going to want to collect every dime of the interest that is due. The other thing is, you know, oftentimes, even if that interest rate comes down, you extend it out over a longer payback period.
So you end up paying as much or more.
So I think the two directions I would go is either get on and just verify not another dime of interest from this point forward. It's just every dollar I send is going to principal reduction. If that's the case, then let's just set her up on a monthly payment that fits in her budget and get that debt coming down. That'd be a great opportunity for her. If not, or if any of them are saying, no, we're going to continue to charge interest, then I think sliding those over into a debt management program.
And the difference there, Blaine, is that the debt stays where it is. We're not replacing it with a new loan. But through credit counseling or what's called debt management, the interest rate has dropped, not to zero, like she's being told, and that's why that's a preferable option, but certainly much lower than where it is today.
So often a 22 or 24 percent interest rates, you know, down at 11, maybe down to 8 percent or less.
So you get a lot more going to principal reduction. And again, Christiancreditcounselors.org is where I would go. But those would be the two options I would pursue. Does that make sense? Yeah, no, so it's ChristiancreditCounselors.org.
That's exactly right. Yep.
Okay.
Uh one one more quick question regarding her.
So She's not able to meet with Social Security for another month or so. And so his check has stopped. And so she's just getting a very small check. She didn't pay much into it.
So she's getting something, but it's very little. Is she going to get anything from his check? Yes.
So she will get the benefit equal to her late husband's benefits.
So it probably just has not switched yet. but she will hers will stop. You you don't collect both. but she'll be able to get his benefit as survivors' benefits.
Okay, so she'll stop getting hers, but she'll get what he got. If it's higher, yes. You're right, yes, yes.
Okay.
All right, that will give her a lot of relief. Thank you. Yeah, absolutely.
So, what she needs to do is she needs to contact them and report the death if she hasn't already. And then, based on his work record, they'll just change her payments over to survivors' benefits, which will be equal to what he was collecting, and then hers would stop.
Okay, I appreciate it. Thank you so much. All right, Blaine, thanks for your call today. We appreciate you. Jim, Lisa, Dan, and Anthony serving us today.
We're grateful for them. We'll see you tomorrow. Faith in Finance is provided by Faith By and listeners like you.
