I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:12-13 […]
“Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?” – Proverbs 17:16 No one wants to be thought of as a fool – not on April first, not at any time. The Bible uses that strong term only a handful of times in regard to […]
Financially speaking, do you know who you are? I realize that most people probably haven’t even thought about their financial identity. Even for those who have, what in the world does it have to do with finding some financial breathing room, getting out of debt, or investing more successfully? Since you’re reading this devotional, I […]
“He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” – John 21:5-6 Do you have any recurring problems in […]
“For nothing is impossible with God.” – Luke 1:37 I love the start of a new year. It’s a chance to begin again, to set fresh goals and make new plans for the months ahead. As we make plans for 2023, whether financial or other types, let’s make sure that our plans are God’s plans. We […]
There’s a popular myth that managing money effectively is about knowledge and behavior. Figure out what to do and then do it. That’s it. Simple. But there’s a crucial factor missing from that equation: The heart. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23 Marketers understand that […]
I still remember the first time we took our first child to the pediatrician. There was nothing wrong; it was just a normal first check-up. However, my face must have looked like I was carrying our newborn across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. The doctor took one look at me and said, “It’s okay, one […]
I’ve spent way too much time in recent days feeling very wronged. And by a fellow Christian, no less. Somehow, a firm commitment made a few weeks ago – something that seemed like a miraculous gift from God; something I was extremely hopeful about – went from a couldn’t-have-been-any-clearer “yes,” into a “no.” In response, […]
When my wife, Jude, and I got married, I was making almost three times as much as she was (she worked in full-time ministry while I had a corporate job), and yet she had more money in savings, more money in investments, a paid-off car that was two years newer than my paid-off car, and […]
How would you describe your house? What type of car do you own? How much money do you have in your checking account? All of those questions seem normal enough. But wait. Is any of that really yours? My main mentor when it came to learning about and then teaching biblical principles of money, Dick Towner, […]
For far too many people, money is a source of stress or frustration. Consider these findings from a recent Federal Reserve survey: About 46% of U.S. adults said they would be unable to cover a $400 emergency expense without selling something or borrowing the money. About 31% of non-retired adults reported having no pension or […]
During what would turn out to be my father’s final year of life, he had several caregivers in and out of his house. Since I worked within about a 45-minute drive of where he lived, one day I decided to take a long lunch and pay a surprise visit to check up on the care […]
Have you ever walked through your neighborhood on a warm day and looked inside other people’s garages? Don’t the contents look familiar? Don’t they look remarkably similar to the contents of your own garage? I’m not suggesting that we all start forming communes, but couldn’t we do a better job of sharing? On a memorable out of town […]
When I woke up to the reality of having $20,000 of credit card debt, I had to face this hard truth: I didn’t get into debt overnight, so I’m probably not going to get out of debt overnight. In fact, it took me four and a half years to pay off my debt. There were […]
When Hal and Dee were in their mid-fifties, they found themselves with $50,000 of credit card and tax debt. That would have been bad enough, but they had been there before, which only made it worse. They had been riding a financial—not to mention emotional, spiritual, and marital—roller coaster for years. Repeating history Early in […]