Mastering Money: Aligning Finances with Faith

Finances

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The renewed mindset show with Rick Yuhas can be heard every Sunday morning at 9 am Eastern right here on WDJY 99.1. Straight talk Today on renewed mindsets. Cash dough, green bucks, red mula, cheddar, benjamin's Fiverr, sawbuck, 10 spot Money the best things in life are free, but you can give them to the birds and bees. I want my two dollars. Two dollars, is that your crown? What? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I do it right for myself. I'm a big fan of money. I like it, I use it. I have a little. I keep it in a jar on top my refrigerator. I'd like to put more in that jar. That's where you come in. I want my two dollars. If we go by just movies and music, it looks like we're pretty obsessed. Today we'll talk about spending responsibly, why it's important to save and why it's important to give to others. Let's go, boys. Hey, welcome to renewed mindsets. I'm Rick and I am so glad you're here. So, as a man and his family were driving home from church, he was complaining about everything he said the music was too loud, the sermon was too long, the church announcements were unclear, the building was hot, the people were unfriendly. He went on and on and on. He complained about every single thing. Finally, his son in a back seat said dad, you got to admit it wasn't a bad show for just a dollar. I once heard a preacher say that the Bible has more to say about money than about heaven and hell combined. You know, one online study tool states that there are over two thousand verses concerning money, twice that of faith and prayer. Nearly 15% of everything that Jesus spoke about was related to money and possessions. When it came to Jesus' parables, 16 out of his 38 dealt with the topic of money. The only subject Jesus taught more about than money was the kingdom of God. The wisdom passages in both the old and new testaments cover multiple lessons about money, including the blessings of the wise steward and the twin curses of greed and covetedness. The careful and benevolent use of money has resulted in great joy and peace to many children of God, but really, a reckless handling of financial resources has brought many others to painful ends filled with shame and remorse. Who could forget the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15? So what should the serious disciple of Christ know and practically apply when it comes to money? A pastor, I once knew that was very much a pastor. A pastor I once knew that was born during the Great Depression said that money is a tool, a test and a testimony. See, he was born in extreme poverty and even though he worked hard his whole life, he never really made much money. He didn't accumulate much money, but he never really lacked for his needs and he never went without. His life was never controlled by money and his generosity was obvious to everybody. So what he said, money is a tool, a test and a testimony. We're going to talk about that First. Money is a tool. Now, contrary to what many people are taught and what many of you think, is that the Bible does not say that money is evil, what Paul actually wrote to Timothy was, for the love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some coveted after, they have aired from faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. That's 1 Timothy 6-10. Finances or Money is neutral, it's dispassionate, it's just a thing, it's simply a utensil for conducting commerce. But Paul's warning talks about the capacity for money to exceed its boundaries and become a thing that we're passionate about and through its misapplication it can control us and harm us. God knows, we have needs for everyday things, things that we acquire with money. Neither the money or, in most cases, the things that it acquires, are evil, but they are subject to decay and obsolescence and theft. Matthew 6-19-24 talks about that. Everything we have, including the ability to earn money and possessions, comes from God Himself, and we would do well to remember to whom we are stewards. A steward is one who's responsible for the possessions of another. We're stewards of our lives, our time, our talents, our spiritual gifts and our financial resources. Good, wise stewardship is the primary principle the Bible teaches about money. For example, a wise person saves his finances for the future Proverbs 21-20, which requires discipline and forward vision. Money actually grows by good stewardship, though it does not grow on trees allowing money to multiply Proverbs 13-11. The proper acquisition of money comes from hard and steady work. Money is simply a tool, but even a hammer, if you use it improperly, can cause a whole lot of damage. Now, what about money as a test? How we approach money, what we think of it, whether we simply use it or covet it, whether we control it or it controls us, demonstrates clearly that money is a test. It tests our character, and our character about money, like every other attribute of a disciple, must be cultivated through spiritual discipline. Many of the verses, parables and lessons the Bible gives us about money describe the inspection of our inner character that money reveals. Do we really believe it's more blessed to give than receive? Acts 2035. If we do, then we would have to faithfully save and then release some of our finances. How do we become the kind of people who never boast in riches, who routinely and cheerfully financially support those who teach the Word of God? How do we avoid being greedy? How do we come to consistently serve the master of life and not be mastered by money? How do we become the person who's more interested in contributing than collecting or consuming? How do we give more than a check to satisfy our conscience? How do we give ourselves and our ability to earn money to God and His kingdom? The answer to all that is fully trusting in the daily, moment by moment presence of God in our life and as we live in His present kingdom and draw upon all of His resources. It's going to require us coming to believe and know that God values us, he knows our circumstances and promises to provide everything that we need according to His riches in Jesus Christ. That's Philippians 419. Above all, it requires seeing ourselves as stewards. Think a manager but stewards of another person's resources. We truly are managers of finances wealth, including its potential, and we'll one day give an account to our master for how we used it. Remember the word talent in the New Testament most often referred to money, not just ability. The frugal or the wise use of money is a service to God, and when we're disciplined with money, we're free from the concern and involvement with multitudes of desires that would make it impossible for us to do justice, love, mercy and walk humbly with God. It makes it possible for us to concentrate on that one needful thing, the good part that Mary chose. Luke 10, verse 42. Money is first a tool, neutral, with a lot of potential. Then money becomes a test, a test of our character. We're responsible to control it and properly use it, but money is always a testimony. How we control or are controlled by money speaks loudly to those people who would examine our lives. Money exacerbates and illuminates our outer priorities and our inner character. We think well of a person who freely gives, even when they're poor, and poorly of those who refuse to see the needs of others right. We instinctively know that the motivations of the greedy and covetous person, their attitudes and their actions reveal their heart to us. We often judge others on the observable surface. A person that lives in a nice neighborhood, that drives a nice car, that has a good job, a good family, must be a good person with good finances, right, successful and someone to be admired. Yet another person living in a humble setting, taking the bus to work, must somehow be inferior. What's really sad is this kind of thinking can be found in church today. The Joneses do go to your church and we can easily get caught trying to keep up with them. Jesus taught that God honors the widow's two pennies far greater than the rich man's treasure. It wasn't the amount of money that mattered, it was the heart of the giver. The widow gave out of her poverty, trusting God for all her needs. The rich person giving out of their wealth, trusted in money and missed the real blessing of giving. And don't forget, john wrote but if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 1 John 3.17. When we love God and love people, then we're freed from the love of money. Money is our servant. That's the way we need to think. Money is a tool and it's a test and it's a testimony, and I can think of a few other things to add to that. Money can be a terror, money can be a tyrant, money can be a teacher, and money is temporary. If we want to be good and faithful servants who enter into the joy of the Master, then we need to be faithful over a little before we're set over much. Matthew 25-21. This is what's required of us as stewards to be found faithful, see 1 Corinthians 4-2. The disciple of Christ must become a faithful steward of financial resources. Only then can they serve the one true Master of life. 2 Corinthians 4-2. And now Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy from Rick Uhaas. If I ever get real rich, I hope I'm not real mean to poor people like I am now. I'd rather be rich than stupid. I can't stand cheap people. It makes me real mad when someone says something like hey, when are you going to pay me that $100 you owe me? Or do you have that $50 you borrowed? Man, quit being so cheap. Hey, I hope you're enjoying these shows as much as I do. I love providing value in the way of conversations and interviews and content. If you've ever sat there in your car and said to yourself, man. I wish there was a way I could help support Rick with his show. Well, today's your lucky day. Your support means the world to me. By supporting renewed mindsets, you're not just backing a show. You're fueling those engaging conversations, insightful interviews and quality content. Your support of this ministry helps me bring God's word to those that may not hear it anywhere else, and you're investing in your own future of listening. Together, let's amplify our voice and keep the conversations flowing. Visit our website at renewedmindsetscom. Slash support and be a crucial part of this show. Thank you for making a difference. I think it's safe to say that the majority of us need some money management help, and the Bible has a lot to say about money management. A lot of people don't think that. A lot of people may not even know that there are more verses relating to money than there are about heaven, hell and prayer combined. Considering this, we know that God has clearly stated money as an important topic in our lives. Throughout scripture, we can clearly identify five separate financial principles that can be applied to our very own situations. God's money principles are transcendent and timeless, and they work in every situation every time. The first one Very easy Spend less than you earn. It sounds easy but it's hard to do. We live in a culture of constant advertising bombardment and our culture sows discontentment. We're taught that we can and should buy what we want when we want, regardless of consequences. But Proverbs 13, verse 11, says Wealth quickly gotten, dwindles away, but amassed, little by little it grows. The second Be wise with debt. Debt always mortgages the future. It will always come calling and it can lower our standard of living in the future. We need to make sure that we don't presume upon the future and that we understand the true cost. Proverbs again, chapter 22, verse 7, tells us the rich rule over the poor and the borrower is the slave to the lender. The third thing Plan for financial margin, because the unexpected will occur. Who out there has had to make an unexpected car or home repair? What about an unexpected medical bill for a broken arm when we failed to build liquidity for short-term emergencies, we're creating a crack in our financial foundation. This principle applies to having a solid emergency fund and being properly insured with health and life and disability insurance. Proverbs once again, chapter 6, verses 6 through 8, says Go to the aunt you sluggered, observe its ways and become wise. Without leader, administrator or ruler. It prepares its provisions in summer and it gathers its food during harvest. The fourth Set long-term goals because there's always a trade-off between short-term and the long-term. If we all operated off of long-term goals, how would that change our short-term perspective on how we use money? Focusing on goals that are important to us can help us establish a clear direction on God's calling for our lives. Philippians 3 14 says I continue my pursuit towards the goal, the prize of God's upward calling in Christ Jesus. And the fifth Give generously, because giving breaks the power of money. Yes, giving our resources to others in need is a nice thing to do, but this principle goes so much deeper than that. Giving breaks the power that money has over us. God calls us to trust Him, and giving generously forces us to do just that. Christ is the ultimate sacrificial giver, and we're called to live our lives in the same manner. Second Corinthians, 9, 6 through 9, says Consider this whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, god is able to make every grace abundant to you so that, in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance. For every good work, as it is written. He scatters abroad. He gives to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. As you can see, these principles impact each one of us on a daily basis. Remember that God owns it all and that our role is to be stewards of His resources. I'm always on the lookout for great content and podcasts, and I have two recommendations for you today. I'll put links to both of these in the show description on the website for this show. First is a show from one of the nicest people I've never met. The show is God's Loving Sacrifice and it's hosted by Gala Just Gala. Yeah, like Madonna or Beyonce, this show is straightforward truth from the Bible. Gala's voice is so calm and soothing I hate it when the show ends. You can find her show at godslovingsacrificecom and on most every podcast app. I give it a 10 out of 10. The next show is a little closer to my heart. It's called Wisdom for the Day Proverbs in 2024. It's a daily show, but it's a pretty quick listen. Five minutes or so Each day. The host reads a few verses from Proverbs and explains each one. Listen every day and at the end of the year, you've gotten a complete picture of the book of Proverbs. Trust me, you'll be so much wiser for that. The reason I like that show so much besides the fact that Proverb is one of my favorite books is the host. It's me. I snuck in an extra podcast over the Christmas holiday. It started January 1st. So one decent drive somewhere and you can be all caught up. You can listen at renewedmindsetscom, slash Wisdom for the Day, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. I give it an 11 out of 10. Do you have a favorite podcast other than this one? Get over to renewedmindsetscom and leave me a voice message. Tell me all about it. I'll play it on a future show and promote your favorites. While you're on the website, you can check out all of our episodes, you can read the blog and you can check out the new store for all that renewed Mindsets merch you've been wanting. If you enjoyed today's show, do me a favor, tell someone about it. Your recommendation goes a long way towards them hearing the truth. I hope you have a fantastic day and I'll see you later. Until next time, I'm Rick. I love you. See ya. The music for the renewed Mindset show is Are you Ready? By Floodgate From the album Are you Ready? Copyright 2002, offbeat Ministries Inc. Floodgate is available on Apple Music and iTunes. Music used with permission. The renewed Mindset show with Rick Uhaas can be heard every Sunday morning at 9AM Eastern right here on WDJY 99.1. All