Bountiful: The Heart of Money Management

What is the faithfulness or reliability of money? We use money every day in exchange for our needs and some things we want. But is money in it for the long haul?In this episode, Gary & Christy discuss what the Bible says about the faithfulness of material wealth. Then, they outline how we can draw the line between utilizing money and depending on it.

The good life may look different for you than for me, and how we define happiness or success has a huge impact on our perspective of what “the good life” means. In this episode, Gary & Christy compare a worldly viewpoint and a spiritual viewpoint of the good life.The worldly viewpoint of the good life involves being self-sufficient, self-centered, and focusing on physical blessings we want. The spiritual viewpoint involves fully relying on God, centering our life to glorify the Lord, and focusing on the spiritual blessings in Christ.The world is all around us, and it’s easy to fall into its line of thinking. When we hear about “the good life” let’s make sure we’re faithful in our stewardship of God’s blessings to us. Our souls are precious; let’s not cheapen them by chasing “the good life” that’s only going to be temporary.

Episode Resources

• Bountiful episode: “Starving for More” https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls6e3/
• Bountiful episode: “I Want That!” https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls11e7/
• https://medium.com/@snehagurpur/what-is-a-perfect-life-9d5a7e7a454a
• http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2016/what-is-the-good-life/#:~:text=In%20its%20basic%20form%2C%20living,from%20that%20which%20you%20do.
• https://www.tyndale.com/sites/unfoldingfaithblog/2020/03/05/living-the-good-life-what-god-has-to-say-about-wealth-and-money/

Kindness is part of our stewardship. A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself (Proverbs 11:17). We can be kind just as effectively at no expense as we can at medium expense or high expense. But since this is a podcast about money management, this episode focuses on how we can use our money in the work of kindness.As faithful stewards of God’s blessings, let’s remember:

1. There’s always room for kindness in our budget. Kindness ought to be a forethought rather than an afterthought.
2. Being kind doesn’t give us permission to be mean. Our financial faithfulness is about the attitude more than the amount.
3. Being kind doesn’t require us to go broke. Our financial situations have limits, and it’s okay to respect those boundaries.

“Always be a little kinder than necessary.” (James M Barrie)

Episode Resources

• https://preacherpollard.com/2012/07/12/kindness-but-not-so-random/
• https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/jerks-for-jesus/
• https://www.sixfiguresunder.com/random-acts-of-kindness-for-any-budget/
• https://wealthfulmind.com/why-is-kindness-important-reasons-why-it-matters/

The Bible encourages us to be patient (Romans 12:12; Galatians 6:9). There are familiar quotes about patience, like “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And even when it comes to our personal finances, patience is vital because our savings don’t grow overnight just like our debts don’t disappear overnight. But what about being patient with ourselves? Do we give ourselves grace when we make financial mistakes? Do we tolerate the monetary ups & downs without getting upset, or do we chide ourselves for not being more proactive? In this episode, Gary & Christy discuss being patient when we make money mistakes, remaining patient when things don’t go as planned, and maintaining patience when things do go as planned.“Let’s look forward at our reality rather than look backward at our mistakes.”

Episode Resources

• Bountiful episode “Little By Little” https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls13e7/
• Bountiful episode “Six Tips For Managing Your Money” https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls12e2/
• Bountiful episode “I Want That” https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls11e7/
• Bountiful episode “The Power of Patience” https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls1e10/
• https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-Simple-Dollar/2011/0928/Straightening-out-your-finances-Be-patient

Jesus talked about financial stewardship a lot. Two of his parables are the backbone for this episode and inspiration for its title. Do we use the strategy of the rich fool by tearing down our barns and building larger ones? Or do we use the strategy of the one-talent man by hiding our abilities instead of using them for God’s glory?

Episode Resources

• “Run With the Horses” book which quoted Pliny the Elder: https://www.amazon.com/Run-Horses-Quest-Life-Best/dp/083083706X

Even though some stress is good, trying to live through constant levels of high stress is very challenging. When it comes to our financial situation, if our money isn’t adding up like we expected, that can be tough to deal with. Add on something like unemployment or a big expense, and our finances can become a major struggle. In this episode, we discuss some reasons why money may stress us out. Then, we highlight some ways we can deal with financial stress in a healthy manner. 

1. Stay positive. God will take care of you (Psalm 37:25)
2. Prioritize. It’s impossible to accomplish everything all at once.
3. Pause. Don’t get swept up by the rat race.
4. Parler (French for “speak” or “talk”) about your financial situation with someone you trust.
5. Pray, because that’s how we can find peace among the stress (Phil 4:7)

Episode Resources

• Bountiful episode about communicating with your spouse about money: https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls2e8/
• Bountiful episode about communicating about money in general: https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls1e5/
• Bountiful episode about the benefits of talking about money: https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls8e10/
• Bountiful episode about prioritizing financial goals: https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls9e1/
• https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress

The word “joy” in Galatians 5:22 means “calm delight; gladness”. Therefore, when we talk about joy from a spiritual perspective, it’s different than the joy the world offers. God’s joy involves a steady flow rather than a sudden spike of delight.Joy applies to our financial lives, but how can we have joy in all financial circumstances? In this episode, Gary & Christy talk about having joy when times are good, when times are not good, and when our lives are different than we expected. “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” – Karl Barth

Episode Resources

• https://www.verywellmind.com/why-cant-i-be-happy-6891279#:~:text=A%20Word%20From%20Verywell%20Mind,take%20time%20for%20self%2Dcare

Because we interact with money daily (using electricity, eating, driving, etc) we have some sort of relationship with it. Sometimes we’re tempted to love money – to obsess about our account balances or allowing my financial situation to determine my mood. Other times we may hate money – ignoring our situation hoping we’ll never have to deal with it or avoiding the topic of personal finance altogether! In this episode, we discuss the two sides of this question in order to find God’s answer. Proverbs 30:8-9 – Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Episode Resources

• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/does-god-love-hate-money-jose-serpa#:~:text=God%20is%20emotionally%20indifferent%20to%20money.&text=He%20seems%20to%20understand%20that,Liked%20or%20disliked.
• https://www.wisebread.com/do-you-love-money-or-hate-it-either-way-youre-sick

What are some ways we can save money during the summer? In this episode, we mention a few methods we could trim costs from our utilities and our entertainment.

Episode Resources

• https://www.northcountrysavings.bank/blog-article/6-summer-savings-tips-tricks-make-most-season
• https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-have-a-fun-summer-when-your-finances-fall-short
• https://www.mystayathomeadventures.com/how-to-save-money-this-summer/
• https://frozenpennies.com/summer-budgeting-tips/
• https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/spring-and-summer-energy-saving-tips

In many ways, owning a pet is an investment of time and money. While having a pet can be very enjoyable, we must consider their cost before bringing them to our family. In this episode, we discuss some financial line items associated with pet ownership – both up-front and on-going.

Episode Resources

• https://blog.umb.com/personal-banking-tips-financial-considerations-before-adopting-a-pet/
• https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/06/peteconomics.asp
• https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/pet-ownership-statistics/#:~:text=to%20pet%20ownership%3A-,As%20of%202023%2C%2066%25%20of%20U.S.%20households%20(86.9%20million,acquired%20pets%20during%20the%20pandemic.