Utah's Hope

Our financial lives stand or fall on the foundation we choose. Jesus said the wise man built his house on the rock; when the storm came, the house stood (Luke 6:48). The same is true of our financial lives. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and John Cortines describe how to build a financial house on the wisdom of God’s Word. Then, it’s on to calls. That’s Faith and Finance Live . . . biblical wisdom for your financial journey. That’s weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

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Have you ever been to an auction, or seen one on TV . . . maybe classic cars . . . or farm animals. As you’re sitting there, you have to be very quiet and very still. You scratch your head at the wrong moment and you’ll suddenly own a 1500 lb Texas Longhorn! (Sfx) Today on A NEW BEGINNING, we’ll see we need to be careful in our speech and attitude toward the Lord. Pastor Greg Laurie points out how our behavior should draw people to the Lord, not stand in the way of that decision.

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Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

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Many kids grieving divorce never have words for what they're carrying. Blake Hudspeth grew up through four different stepfamilies and knows how family change can shape a child's view of love, trust, and belonging. On FamilyLife Blended, Ron Deal talks with Blake about the grief parents often overlook, the questions kids rarely ask out loud, and why feeling "fine" isn't always the whole story.

Show Notes and Resources

• Watch this episode on YouTube 
• Get a free download for how to build love with your stepchild
• Read the article: Bridge Building: Strengthening Relationships with Stepchildren
• Get your copy of The Mindful Marriage
• Ministering to students tips sheet
• Send the Blended team a donation

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Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with a familiar picture: two men building two houses. One builds on rock. The other builds on sand. When the storms come, only one house remains standing.

The difference isn’t the weather. Both houses face the storm. The difference is the foundation.

That picture from Matthew 7 offers a helpful way to think about our financial lives. Job losses, medical expenses, market declines, and unexpected bills eventually test every household. The question is whether our financial lives are built on something strong enough to withstand them.

John Cortines, a Family Office Advisor with Blue Trust and co-author of God and Money and True Riches, offers a helpful framework: Think of your financial life as a house. Christ is the foundation. Gratitude, contentment, trust, and love form the walls. Our identity as stewards serves as the roof. And wise financial practices furnish the rooms.

Every house begins with a foundation, and the Christian financial life begins with Christ.

Jesus taught that we cannot serve both God and money. So before we ask how much to save, spend, invest, or give, we have to settle a more fundamental question: What—or whom—are we trusting?

1 Timothy 6 warns against placing our hope in wealth. Money is useful, but it was never designed to carry the weight of our security or identity.

Instead, biblical stewardship begins by recognizing that everything ultimately belongs to God. Haggai 2:8 reminds us that the silver and gold are His. What we possess has been entrusted to us temporarily.

That changes the way we approach money. Rather than asking, “What do I want to do with my money?” a steward begins asking, “What is the next faithful decision with what God has entrusted to me?”

Money moves from being our master to becoming a tool we manage for God’s purposes.

Once the foundation is in place, the first wall is gratitude. Gratitude protects us from one of wealth’s most subtle dangers: pride. 

Pride says, I earned this. I deserve this. Look at what I’ve accomplished. Gratitude answers, God provided this.

Deuteronomy 8:18 warns God’s people not to forget that He is the One who gives them the ability to produce wealth. Our abilities, opportunities, relationships, education, health, and circumstances are all gifts we did not create for ourselves.

That doesn’t diminish the value of hard work. It simply puts our work in its proper place.

A grateful steward can work diligently without believing everything depends on personal achievement. Gratitude opens our hands because it reminds us that every good thing ultimately comes from God.

The second wall is contentment, which guards us from coveting and comparison.

Our culture constantly invites us to look sideways. Someone always seems to have a nicer home, a newer vehicle, a larger portfolio, or a more comfortable lifestyle.

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Every human is wired for emotional connection. And our earliest relationships with our parents, siblings, and others around us teach us when it’s safe to rely on someone to meet our needs. Pastor Kevin Thompson helps you understand how your formative years impact the way you connect with others, especially your spouse. With a better grasp on the attachment styles, you’ll learn how you can nurture a more secure connection with your spouse.
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Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley are joined by Bob Lepine to discuss how guilt, shame, and past wounds affect marriage. If unresolved hurts are triggering conflict in your relationship, listen to this episode and then share it with your spouse. We also talk about building a healthy sexual relationship and adjusting unrealistic expectations shaped by culture. You'll learn how self-regulate when you go into fight/flight/freeze/fawn responses, too. Plus, we answer a listener question about how to move forward when someone's medical treatment has changed them.
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