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Leann Murphy wanted to share the truth about marriage with her adult children. This wisdom became her 21-day devotionals – Becoming a Wife and Becoming a Husband. Leann shares how to “fight well,” build routines that draw you closer to Jesus, and walk through bitterness and resentment. You’ll be encouraged to contend for your marriage like never before.

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Money has a remarkable ability to shape our emotions. In a single week, it can make us anxious, fearful, generous, or joyful. But Scripture reminds us that money—despite the power we often assign to it—cannot ultimately provide what we most want.

On today’s episode of Faith & Finance, we spoke with Dr. Russell James III, the CH Foundation Chair of Personal Financial Planning and Charitable Giving at Texas Tech University and author of A Christian’s Guide to Joyful Wealth Management. 

He helped us explore a foundational question: If money cannot give us security or control, what is it actually for?

Dr. James begins where the Apostle Paul begins—in 1 Timothy 6. Paul reminds believers of a simple but transformative reality: we cannot take wealth with us when we die.

“Money is temporary,” Dr. James explained. “Eventually, every one of us will lose it. The only real question is how.”

That truth reframes everything about financial decision-making. If wealth cannot follow us beyond this life, then we are not owners in the ultimate sense—we are stewards. And that reality isn’t merely a theological concept; it’s also biological. Eventually, every dollar we possess will pass to someone else.

Thinking about money this way changes the conversation. Instead of asking, “How can I keep this?” we begin asking, “How should I use what God has entrusted to me while I have it?”

According to Dr. James, Scripture points to four common approaches to handling wealth:

1. Binge

Spending wealth recklessly in pursuit of pleasure—like Solomon’s experiments in Ecclesiastes or the prodigal son in Luke 15.

2. Bury

Hoarding wealth, protecting it carefully but never truly using it.

3. Toil

Working relentlessly to accumulate more and more wealth, even when basic needs are already met.

4. Enjoy

Receiving God’s provision with gratitude and using it for good.

The first three approaches share a common problem: they ultimately lead to the same outcome—dying with unused or misused wealth.

The fourth option—enjoyment—points us toward something better.

One of the most powerful forces shaping financial behavior is fear.

Dr. James noted that many stewardship conversations focus on avoiding overspending. While that’s important, Jesus often warned about the opposite problem—hoarding wealth out of fear.

In both the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30) and the Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11–27), the servant who buried what he was given offered the same explanation: “I was afraid.”

Fear narrows our focus to worst-case scenarios. It tempts us to seek control through accumulation rather than trusting God as our provider.

And yet Scripture reminds us that wealth cannot offer the control we hope for. It is always uncertain and ultimately temporary.

One of the most surprising teachings in Scripture is that God intends us to enjoy what He provides.

In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul writes that God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” But biblical enjoyment is not indulgence.

Dr. James explained that true enjoyment comes when we put resources to work for good purposes. In the very next verse, Paul describes what that looks like:

“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” —1 Timothy 6:18

In other words, enjoyment is found

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You’re busy. Faithful. Grinding. But if you’re honest? Something at home feels off. Music artists and authors Montell and Kristin Jordan get real about success, sickness, marriage strain—and the quiet drift that almost costs you what matters most. If work, church, kids, or “good things” are crowding your covenant, this conversation will recalibrate you without shaming you.

Show Notes and Resources

• Check out Montell and Kristin's website at  montellandkristin.com
• You can follow them on Instagram
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Pride sabotages your planning. Today on BOLD STEPS, Mark Jobe reveals five telltale signs that you’re acting like the lord of your own future.  From unwillingness to take advice to rushing ahead without God’s timing, these red flags expose how arrogance blocks God’s best.  Learn how humility unlocks what pride prevents ... listen to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe.

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Westminster Pulpit with Dr. Chris Walker