Can’t Serve God and Money with Taylor Standridge

Do you feel weighted down by financial stress?

You're not alone. Money worries touch all of us. But Jesus tells us we don't have to carry that burden. That's why we at Faithful have written, Look at the Sparrows, a 21-day devotional from Faithful. Each day you'll find scripture, reflection, and prayer to guide you through your journey toward peace. Visit faithful.com slash sparrows and start finding freedom from financial anxiety today with Look at the Sparrows.

That's faithful.com slash sparrows. No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 6 24.

Hi, I'm Rob West. Serving two masters is not merely an economic or social concern, but is profoundly spiritual. It touches on what it means to be a follower of Christ challenging us to examine what truly governs our lives. Taylor Standridge joins us today to talk about it.

Then it's on to your calls at 800-525-7000. This is faith and finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey. Well, it's great to have Taylor Standridge back with us along with Chad Clark and Carolyn Kolupka. Taylor is the co-author of our brand new resource, Look at the Sparrows, a 21-day devotional on financial fear and anxiety. Taylor, great to have you back.

Hey, Rob. It's always a pleasure. We're going to dig a little deeper into the verse we started with, Matthew 6 24, and a few others. But first, Taylor, why don't you just give us an overview of the brand new Look at the Sparrows devotional and how it can help our listeners.

Yeah. So many of us face financial anxiety. And one of the things that I want to kind of dispel this myth is that as writers of this devotional, we're somehow on the other side of this struggle. Now, everyone that contributed to this, we are in the fight with you. So many of us face this, whether we're talking about bills, job security, retirement savings, it is overwhelming.

It can cause us to have sleepless nights, even constant stress, even affect our health. And so there is this source of peace and joy that goes beyond our financial situations. And so in this devotional, we are inviting you alongside us onto this journey to explore how God's word addresses money and anxiety through the teachings of Jesus. So it brings us back to the heart of scripture, teaching us that peace comes not from having enough money, but from trusting in God's provision and grace. And so as we journey through this three-week devotional, 21 days, we are reminded that God loves us. He cares for us. And our ultimate source of security and peace is found in him.

Well, it's so well done Taylor. And I know from taking calls on this program every day, it is going to meet a real need that exists among so many. Now it's of course, as you said, a devotional about overcoming financial fear and anxiety, but there's one whole section that's really dedicated to not being able to serve God and money where we started today. How are those two things related?

Oh yeah. I mean, the contrast between God and money and scripture is not accidental. This is very much intentional on Jesus's part. So in this context, money represents far more than just simply the coinage or currency that we used to spend. It symbolizes the worldly values and pursuits that can lead us away from centering our life on God. So whether it's wealth, power, status, all that the world deems essential to a good life can easily become idols that we serve. And often it's without us even realizing it.

So of course I do want to make this known. It's not money that is in and of itself evil. Money is not the problem. It's what the enemy tells us that money fulfills. So like as 1 Timothy 6 10 says, it's the love of money that is the root of all evil. It's when we love it more than the creator himself.

We recognize that it's a gift from God that we can use as a tool to accomplish his purposes. But if the enemy can deceive us into believing that the money that we have can provide us identity and security, all these things that only God can provide, it will enslave us and quickly draw our hearts away from what God wants for our lives. Wow, you really nailed it there.

Let's unpack this a bit more because this is such a big idea. Taylor, in your view, what does the love of money really represent? Well, I really like the way that Larry Burkett put it. He said the love of money is a form of idol worship. Just as surely as the worship of pagan images, it's not the money that is the problem, it's the attitude towards it. That's why our organization's founders are so famous for actually counting the verses in the Bible that had to do with the topic of money and possessions.

And what they found is there were over 2,300 verses. Because at the end of the day, money promises us all the same things that God does. But it doesn't deliver on a single one of those promises. It tells us that with enough of it, we'll be protected, secure, and fulfilled. But sadly, people who end up rich beyond their wildest dreams come to a tragic conclusion.

It does not satisfy. I actually like the way that the writer of Ecclesiastes puts it in chapter five. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income. This also is vanity. Well, Taylor, we're just scratching the surface here today.

I can't wait to continue to unpack this. We'll talk about some of the danger signs you need to watch out for to make sure that you're not trying to serve God and money and continue to talk about how you can overcome financial fear and anxiety. Folks, if you want to learn more, faithfi.com slash sparrows. Look at the sparrows as our focus today. Taylor Standrich is our guest and much more just around the corner. Stick around. Are you overwhelmed by financial fear and anxiety?

You're not alone. At Faithfi, we hear it every day. People weighed down by worries related to wealth and money. But financial anxiety isn't about the size of your bank account.

It's about the condition of your heart. That's why we've created Look at the Sparrows, a 21-day devotional that'll help you find peace through Jesus's teachings. Replace your financial anxiety with peace today.

Visit faithfi.com slash sparrows and start your journey today. Faith and 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.

With me today, my friend Taylor Standrich. He's a production manager here at Faithfi and he is co-author of the brand new resource, Look at the Sparrows, a 21-day devotional on financial fear and anxiety. Today we're talking about one of the big ideas we see in Scripture around money and our hearts, and that is that we cannot serve God and money. This is a big theme in our new devotional Look at the Sparrows. And Taylor, I'd love for you to share some of the danger signs that might indicate we're serving money and not God. Yeah, well if we look at Jesus's teaching in Matthew 6, it really does not allow for us to have a middle ground or a compromised position, so these danger signs are kind of revealing that our loyalty is not necessarily exclusive to God.

And by no means is this list exhaustive, these are just things that have come up to my mind just when I think of somebody who is really struggling with this loyalty issue. And number one is that we're prioritizing work and money over our relationship with God. You know, if making money and achieving financial success takes precedence over spending time with God, or that's taking precedence over serving others, attending church, and nurturing our own spiritual growth, that could be a sign that money is an idol for us.

I actually really like the way that a pastor told me once, he says, if rest feels like a sin, then work is an idol. And so work is such a beautiful gift from the Lord, but if we forget why we work, we are missing such a key opportunity to worship God. We don't work just so that our bills are paid, we work so that we can ultimately bring glory to God and represent him not only in our workplaces, but in the work itself. So as we say all the time on this program, God designed us to work and to represent him on this earth. That's why we're made in his image. That's what it means to represent him in his kingdom.

We steward this creation. And if our work isn't allowing us to spend time with God on a personal level, it's a good chance that we have our priorities out of line. Taylor, I know contentment is another big theme we see in Scripture.

How does that connect to these danger signs? Yeah, so the second one that I would say to keep a lookout for is that you're never satisfied or content with enough. We see this in Luke chapter 12. We obviously did a whole study on the parable of the rich fool, but Jesus is cautioning against greed, reminding us that life is so much more than the abundance of our possessions. And like I just mentioned in the previous segment in Ecclesiastes 5, the one who loves money will never have enough. That's actually why God warns Moses and the Hebrews in Deuteronomy 8 as they head towards the promised land, they are about to enter a land that is flowing with milk and honey, which is just a metaphor for prosperity. And God in his infinite wisdom warns them not to forget that their wealth and their ability to create it all come from him.

Of course, if you've read the rest of the story on dozens upon dozens of occasions, that is precisely what happens. Yeah, there's no doubt about that. That generosity is a key piece of this as well, isn't it?

Yeah, absolutely. So the last one that I would say to keep a lookout for is that if our giving becomes sparing and it becomes reluctant. So if you find it difficult to give generously, or if giving feels like a burden, it could be a sign that money holds too much power in your heart. We see in 2 Corinthians 9 that God loves a cheerful giver, and biblical stewardship encourages us to hold our resources with an open hand.

So if we're white knuckling our money, it's a clear sign that we have forgotten whose money it is that we're managing. It's also a sign that we're probably looking at the world through something called a scarcity mindset, where we hoard and we even take our share at the expense of the needs of others. We only look at the world through a piece of the pie mindset where it basically says, if someone gets that piece, I don't get that piece.

And we actually see this going back to the Garden of Eden when the serpent convinces Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, because God knows that when you eat, your eyes will be open, just as he says, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. You know, I see this in the beginning of humanity, the idea of someone having something that we don't have, whereas we would translate it as covetousness. It has reigned supreme in the lives of humanity since then, and it wrecks havoc wherever we allow it to. Yeah, I think that's well said. I think about what Ron Blue, the author says often, and that is that giving actually loosens the grip that money can have over our lives. And so clearly the extent to which we're generous is the extent to which we're living open-handed. Now you mentioned this scarcity mindset. I want to dig a little deeper on that because another one of the verses that we find in this devotional for one of the days is John 10. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. So Taylor, share your thoughts on how our listeners can overcome this scarcity mindset and learn to trust God for our provision. Absolutely. Well, scarcity prompts us to prioritize our needs over others, which breeds envy. It breeds anger and conflict.

It transforms what life is supposed to be, which is a celebration, into a struggle for survival. So of course, this runs contrary to what Paul talks about in Philippians 2 when he says, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. The Bible shows us that God intends for humans to experience his generosity, which starts with Abraham's family, whom he promised abundance, hoping to demonstrate his provision through their faith to the surrounding nation.

So it's never been just about being a person that receives it. It's about showing others who God is through generosity. So despite God's intentions, obviously human history has shown a humongous cycle of forgetfulness and greed, which leads to self-destruction and conflict. And we see this time and time in scripture. So God's response to this cycle is absolutely remarkable. He gives us his son, Jesus, who embodies trust in God's abundance as he lives generously, even in the face of adversity. So as we look at Jesus's teachings and ultimate sacrifice, we're invited to live by this countercultural narrative of abundance, trusting that with God, there is always more than enough. That's so good.

I'd love for you to take that one step further. What does it look like then for God to provide more than enough? Yeah, well, let's look at the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, which if you read behind the scenes of that story, 5,000 is just the men.

If you were to count the women and the children, you can multiply that by about three or four times. So this is a massive miracle, even on its own. And in Matthew 14, we forget this little detail that not only did Jesus feed everybody with five loaves of bread and two fish, but there were 12 baskets of leftovers. It wasn't just that he met the needs.

Everyone ate and was satisfied in full. So why would God just not feed them what they needed? Well, this little detail in the story showcases God's generous spirit and abundant ability to always shatter expectations. It reminds us that God's resources are limitless and ours, even though we think that there's only a limited amount of everything in this world, God can truly multiply from anything. I mean, remember, creation came from nothing. God created from nothing.

He's the only one that can do that. So in times of financial anxieties, our worries can be alleviated by trusting God's endless generosity. Just as Jesus taught, let's not be consumed by the fear of not having enough, but let's be inspired to live generously, sharing our resources and love. When our mindset is transformed by the reality that we have more than enough, we experience God's boundless love all around us as we begin to see ourselves as cherished guests at his table. And we see the world now overflowing with possibilities and abundance. Well, folks, you're just getting a taste of our brand new Look at the Sparrows devotional. Imagine going on a journey with us for 21 days, exploring these themes, going and digging into God's word as Taylor has just been doing and seeing God as your ultimate treasure, your provider, one who can be trusted in the midst of the uncertainty and leaning into his provision.

That's what we want for you. And Taylor, I'm so excited about this resource. Tell our listeners how they can pick up a copy. Yeah, well, if you go to faithfi.com, slash sparrows, you can actually get a copy when you make a gift of $25 or more. Also, if you want to become a partner with us, you can actually join at $35 a month.

And every resource that we write from here on out, you're going to be getting a copy before the general public does. So faithfi.com slash sparrows, and you will get a free copy with any $25 donation or more. Taylor, I'm so thankful that you're on the team. Great work on Look at the Sparrows. Thanks for stopping by. Absolutely, Rob.

It's a pleasure. Folks, if you want to learn more, faithfi.com slash sparrows. Back with your questions after this, 800-525-7000. God has entrusted his finances to you. And we at Faithfi have designed our Faithfi app to help you live, give, owe, and grow with that perspective. Our Faithfi app is the leading biblically-based finance app. You can manage your money, get top biblical financial resources, and interact with a community of like-minded believers where you can ask questions, get answers, and share what you're learning.

Go to faithfi.com and click the word app to get started. If the heavy burden of debt is robbing you of freedom and peace of mind, Christian credit counselors can help. We're a nationwide nonprofit credit counseling organization that has helped over 300,000 individuals in the last 27 years get out of credit card debt 80% faster while honoring that debt in full. To learn how Christian credit counselors can help you, visit christiancreditcounselors.org.

That's christiancreditcounselors.org or call 800-557-1985. Great to have you with us today on faith and finance. Here in our final segment, we may have room for one question, 800-525-7000. We already have several folks holding.

Let's go to Louisiana and welcome Loretta to the broadcast. Hi there. Yes. So I'm a grandmother and I have an 18 year old grandson and I am trying to get him started in investing. So I'm looking into maybe gifting him a stock by Apple or Walmart, something of that sort. Still want to be biblically responsible as well. So needing some guidance on that.

Yeah. Well, first of all, you sound like a wonderful grandmother. I love that you're trying to set him up with something that could be really helpful for him down the road.

Secondly, beginning to teach and model the importance of taking a long-term perspective and setting money aside to grow it and build wealth and not consume everything that we have today, the importance and value in saving. You can absolutely do that. You can give your grandson up to $18,000 every year, at least based on the current 2024 numbers, it changes each year, it goes generally goes up slightly, but this year it's $18,000. And you can do that without having to file an IRS gift tax form.

It's form 709. Now, if you go over $18,000, you can still do it and there is no taxes. You would just have to file the form because anything beyond $18,000 this year is going to chip away at your lifetime gift exemption, which happens to be over $13 million. So unless you're going to do a lot of giving, you don't really have to worry about ever getting anywhere close to that lifetime exemption, but you're going to need to let the IRS know you did it. But if it's 18,000 or less, you're good to go.

Now, in terms of how to go about that, I think there's a couple of thoughts here. Number one is, does he have any earned income? Is he working? He is not. He is enrolled in school.

Okay, got it. Yeah, because if he had earned income, you could have him open up a Roth IRA and have him take $7,000 of it and stick it in there and then it would grow tax free. But in terms of how to go about that, apart from the fact that you can do $18,000 a year, you can absolutely transfer an individual investment, be it a stock or a mutual fund. Now, given that you said you would like to be biblically responsible and have it have a faith-based approach, that on top of the fact that I would rather show him, even in these early years, the importance of being properly diversified, I would probably not be in favor as much in you selecting an individual stock and giving him that, namely because then we're just highly concentrated and it's going to create more risk because if that particular company, be it Apple or any other, has a bad quarter or their particular sector of the economy was out of favor, and Apple specifically, I'm not going to comment on whether I think it's a good or bad buy right now, but I will just say that category of high-tech or technology growth companies have been doing incredibly well and it could stand to reason that they would become out of favor.

In fact, they have just over the last couple of months, but the problem with owning one company is you've just got so much at risk without how that company and that sector of the market or the economy performs. So instead of that, one option might be you'd buy some shares of a faith-based investing mutual fund and then give that to him and that would do two things. One is it would have him very widely diversified because instead of owning one company with the same amount of money, he might own hundreds of companies. And second, you could reinforce the idea that all the companies that were selected have been screened for values alignment as a Christian, and I think that would go a long way toward helping him understand that that's an option.

So let me make a suggestion. There's a great resource that's available from our friends at the Eventide Center for Faith and Investing. You'll find it, Loretta, at faithandinvesting.com.

And what you will see there is a free resource that you can download that has a listing of all of the faith-based investing mutual funds and ETFs. And I would say any of those on that list would be great candidates for you to buy into and then transfer to your grandson. I think the only remaining question would be, do you want to open an account in his name or do you want to open it in yours? And I think, you know, given what you're trying to do here, you're probably going to want to go ahead and give it to him. But when you give it to him, just kind of express your desires for how he thinks about it. I mean, you know, would you be disappointed if the day after he got it, he sold it and used the money to buy a car?

If so, you might want to tell him that, you know, that this is for you to hang on to and use down the road, just so there's an alignment of expectations. But does all that make sense? It makes a lot of sense. It makes a lot of sense. We've actually had that discussion about what I think about it and what I wanted him to do with it.

And of course, as an 18-year-old, he thought, nah, I'll just get the money for it. So hopefully me and his parents will kind of guide him down that path. Yeah, very good. Well, listen, Loretta, you sound like, again, a wonderful grandmother.

Hopefully that resource will be helpful to you. But I think you buying the shares of one of these faith-based investing funds, making that gift, hopefully he honors that. And this is something that's a real blessing to him down the road. Thanks for calling today.

We appreciate you being on the program. Let's finish in Florida today. Bob, you'll be our final caller. Go ahead, sir.

Quick question. My wife and I are going to be retiring shortly, probably within about a year. We have plenty of money. We're all set for retirement. Our home is paid for.

The only thing I don't have is long-term care insurance. So my concern is I can always get a reverse mortgage on my home to take care of any of that. But I also heard a commercial on the radio where this one person likes an equity loan instead of a reverse mortgage because then they can determine where the overage would go after the sale of the house instead of a reverse mortgage where the overage might go back to the lender of the reverse mortgage. But that's not how a reverse mortgage works. I mean, the newer reverse mortgages, the ones you would get today is called a HECM, the home equity conversion mortgage. And 100% of the equity that's remaining in the home after the reverse mortgage is paid by you either passing away or selling the home is available to your estate to be given away or passed on to heirs. The only thing is that whatever is taken out, whether it's through a home equity line of credit, a reverse mortgage line of credit, or through a monthly income stream, that obviously because you're not making any payments and that's part and parcel to a reverse mortgage, that's going to be growing over time with interest and fees.

But anything remaining after that full balance is paid is available to you through a reverse mortgage. Okay. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Hey, if you want to learn more, let's do this.

Stay on the line. Our team will get your information. I want to send you a book.

It's called Understanding Reverse. I think it'll be real helpful to you and give you a lot of great information. Thanks for calling today, Bob. Well, folks, that's going to do it for us.

We covered a lot of ground today. Really appreciate you being along with us. Hey, if we can do anything to serve you, don't hesitate to reach out at faithfi.com.

You can download the app. And while you're there, if you'd like to support our work, we'd certainly be grateful as a listener supported ministry, just click give. Thank you to Dan, Amy, Chris, Peter, and Taylor. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye. Faith and Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.