Giving That God Accepts

97 reads each one must give us is decided it was hard not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver by Rob West with some questions for you. Is it more important to give consistently or in a way that pleases God. Can you do both. Answer those questions today limits on your calls at 800-525-7000: 24, seven, 800-525-7000. You're listening to moneywise live biblical wisdom for your financial questions when I first want to give a hand to network for their great article giving that God accepts and will put a link to it in today show notes, so Christians should be committed to the struggle to do things right Christ in his perfect righteousness is our role model but are fallen, sinful nature often leads us astray, not in the attempt to do things right, but in the reasons why we do it if we act to prove ourselves to God or to ourselves. We go astray, and it's in giving perhaps more than any other area of our lives that the purpose of our attempts at righteousness, missed their mark in one sense that's understandable because giving involves numbers that are easily totaled up our giving provides proof to us at least that were doing the right thing.

Other righteous acts like prayer and worship are less concrete.

We may wonder if were doing them enough, but we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. That's not the case with her giving the numbers speak plainly. Do you frequently check your watch.

As you study God's word or pray pressing on, until you prove to God and yourself. You committed enough time. I certainly hope not. That's a poor way to show your faithfulness as it would be with your giving but because giving always involves a specific amount. It's far too easy to think that giving more means we're more spiritual. We think that giving 15% of our income requires more faith in giving 10%.

So what sort of giving does God accept what we can look to King David. For an example of a generous giver.

David likely gave billions of dollars worth of treasure to build the temple in Jerusalem, but it was in the size of the construction budget to please God. It was the way that David gave to complete the massive project. No amount of giving can sway God one where the other he already owns 100% of anything we get back to his kingdom. He doesn't need the money.

What do you give to someone who has everything. Well, to quote David in Psalm 24 one. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof the world and those who dwell therein. God owns everything, because he created everything he's completely self-sufficient and needs nothing from us, but he wants to have a relationship with this God requires us to give a portion of what he gives us back to his kingdom because he wants us to be a part of it.

God made us in his image and he desires relationships so he made us that way to. And that's how we need to understand giving David understood this and we see in Psalm 51 how he responded properly. Let's set the stage. The prophet Nathan had called out David for his adultery with Bathsheba and sending her husband Uriah off to die in battle to cover his sin that takes place in second Samuel 11 and in verse 15, David tells his battle commander set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retreat from them that he may be struck down and die.

Now obviously David send against Bathsheba and Uriah, but he understood that his sin born of covetousness was ultimately against God. Now back to Psalm 51 where David reveals something about God that should direct how we give in verse 16. David writes you do not desire a sacrifice or I would offer one you do not want to burnt offering see if money could buy God's forgiveness. David probably would have given everything but he knew God wouldn't accept his gift.

However, extravagant God wanted nothing material from David. He goes on to write the sacrifice you desires a broken spirit.

You will not reject a broken and repentant heart.

Oh God, that's what God desires from us a broken repentant heart and that's what David really gave him.

We must let that be the basis of all we do, including our giving, we can mislead ourselves into thinking that our gifts in and of themselves. Please God and qualifies for his blessing. True he's pleased by her generosity, but only if it's accompanied by repentant and broken spirit. If you give your time and treasure to God's you can just check a box changing nothing down. All of us can experience this joy. David was an adulterer and a murder because he repentant. So sincerely, God forgave him and accepting his offering. And that's why David is called a man after God's own are in your calls or next. 800-525-7000. This is moneywise live grateful you join us today for moneywise live on Rob West hose chosen to spend this time with us today just about will be taking your calls and questions on anything financial what's on your mind. Today's giving or saving. Perhaps he is said to manage your spending plan. Or maybe those credit cards are giving you some trouble you'd like to know how to pay them off. We'd love to tackle that with you today.

Here's the number to call with lines open 800-525-7000.

That's 800-525-7000. We began today by talking about generosity.

If we think about our giving and how it relates to our role as stewards and managing God's money. The first thing we recognize is that it's a privilege to be about God's activity. Think about this God allows you to be a part of his activity through your generosity will that would be enough in and of itself, but it's more than that because as we said God wants our hearts, and when we give it literally breaks the grip of money over our lives. If money is going to compete with God for first position.

It's the act of holding it loosely that allows us to be. I believe calibrated to God's heart and generosity is one of the key ways that we do that, so everything we talk about here is ultimately going to lead back to recognizing our role as stewards and holding everything we have, loosely because money is a tool to accomplish God's purposes let's talk about that as it relates to your calls and questions today with whatever's going on in your mind and in your heart.

800-525-7000 will begin today in Philadelphia PA hi Linda, how can I help you. How are you great glad to have you. So I combined income of about 90 we have a phone line legally long before you sell still kind of going well you do a lot of parents we can allow even what market can my mother, my brother tries to have time for assembling spell. I can't make home-equity description that that really gives me a clear picture of what's going on here a couple of thoughts I think. First, given that there are some needed repairs and those repairs are extensive enough that the mortgage company believes the value of the home is actually less than what you currently owe on it. We want to stay completely away from trying to borrow any more money against the house now.

God has provided you this blessing of these resources and so we want to use those wisely. Let me ask a couple questions and that I'd love to give you my thoughts on where you go from here. Did I understand you correctly to say you're earning about 90,000 combined in yearly income and you will work for another seven years, and then you'll be okay very good and what debt do you have other than the home is not thinking one night the $3000 that monthly charges for your expenses, or is that a consistent balance. You can carry hello okay and are you adding to that each month. Are you actually able to live within your income or credit card. The answer, I know with a big family and weddings. I didn't have that can add up quickly. No problems. What about savings that you have any emergency reserves like 20 kind of like a touch, okay. Glad to hear that last question you were to add up all of your monthly expenses. When you guess you will spend on a monthly basis, and okay so I love the fact that you have about four months worth of expenses. Perhaps it's a little less than that.

If there are some expenses you are thinking of but that's certainly a good reserve and I love the fact you said you don't plan and you don't actively pull from that which means that it truly is for the unexpected. So I think where you go from here is is this number one.

I really love for you to dial into that spending plan see you have a good sense of what are you actually spending on a monthly basis.

Both fix those things you get a bill for and discretionary those things you don't get a bill for but they're part of your monthly routine.

Everything from clothing to eating out to miscellaneous expenses you spend during the month of our moneywise that could help with that.

And if you hold the line here today will get you a six month subscription so you can connect to your transactions or to your institutions and download your transactions. Our coaches would love to help you with that as well. There's no cost to that and they can walk alongside you as you get that set up.

We have workshops happening every week with folks who can help you put that plan in place and you can schedule that the workshop right through the app so that step one, I think. Step two is once you have that budget in place and with the blessing of these added resources.

I'd love for you to start to make those repairs we can get the home back into working order so that if you were to sell it or refinance it or if you were just to continue to pay on it until you own it, free and clear that you have it in good working order, you're maximizing the value of the asset, but I do that slowly start with the most pressing repairs first. And here's why you're right now on the tail end and arguably were still in the midst of a pandemic we have a lot of supply constraints and prices are up for home repairs. A lot of people are renovating their homes.

Plus, the prices of the raw materials are up. So you're going to be paying a premium for all of these repairs. So I'd take your time, but for any of them that you prioritize to do now as well as those that you might wait six months or year to do if you can without further damage to the home. I would pull out of that inheritance, but only to the extent you have a budget that you put in place that balances to make sure that you are in fact incurring any more debt. But I definitely would not take a home-equity loan to do it so that makes sense. So so number one ranking would be careful with some of these things, you know, because, like for instance, a kitchen, you could spend $50,000 on a new kitchen easy and so you've got a really I think go slow. The fact that you are headed toward retirement.

We deftly want to make sure those student loans are paid off by the time you retire and I'd love for you to be well on your way to owning that home free and clear when you get to retirement and the best way to do that is to make sure you not pumping a lot of money into the house, especially if you don't plan to stay there long term and if you don't have the resources to do it. So as an added part of this I would want to make sure that you will do some planning with a certified kingdom advisor so you know what is your ultimate objective for your retirement savings that 401(k) so that when you get to retirement plus Neo Social Security plus a reasonable income from that 401(k) would cover your expenses in the best way to keep those expenses as manageable as possible is to make sure your debt free now.

Having that the student loan paid off as one part of this ultimately want the house paid off, probably to take a little bit more than seven years to do that, but that's ultimately to get you where you need to go in terms of keeping those expenses as low as you can so you can continue to give you can cover your lifestyle and that you can do that well within the resources that God is provided so skip the credit card debts paid off. If that student loan paid off in the next seven years. Let's go slow on those patients ultimately getting the house back in working order be doing it because I call number 800 557 moneywise live biblical wisdom for your financial decision.

Rob Wester hosted this is the program will be recognizing God owns it all. Therefore, we are stewards and money is a tool to accomplish God's purpose as well. Let's figure out how to use that tool in your life with the decisions you're trying to make. We got two lines open today 800-525-7000 before go back to the phones I mentioned in the last segment looking for a certified kingdom advisor. What's that all about, well, CK is the recognized and accepted designation for biblically wise financial advice in the financial services industry. So if you want an advisor that aligns with your values and beliefs and is met high standards and training, character, regulatory review, not to mention experience.

CK may be exactly what you're looking for.

You can find a certified kingdom advisor in any number of five disciplines, insurance, financial planning, investments, estate planning and taxes and you can do so on our website moneywise live.org just click find a CK.

Let's head back to the phones today. In just a moment will be in Chicago with kinesis and chagrin Falls with James the next up is Ernie and I will in early how can I help you sir. I call I regarding purchasing gold or silver or junk silver at an alternative to investing in the stock market night. I just wanted to see if you your opinion on matters that why I point I'm not a big fan you know when we get into periods of uncertainty and we certainly are in one of those right now, a global pandemic. We've had massive increases in our national dad's got to very loose monetary policy right now that's tightening as we speak.

Nevertheless, there's a lot of money circulating out there. We got inflation that's on the rise, even though the consumer is still very strong and we got an incredibly strong global economy right now, but anytime we get into these periods of uncertainty. This, fear trade if you will, on gold and the precious metals comes back to the forefront and I think in particular, Christians tend to be a bit more susceptible even to that narrative and I think we need to be on our guard enough. We just look at this as a pure investment that clearly the precious metals been more volatile and have had less performance in terms of the overall return than just a properly diversified stock and bond portfolio plus they have other challenges you know if you own the actual take physical possession of the precious metals you gotta secure it.

You've got the markup on the buying and the selling from the dealer that you buy it from and it's very illiquid you know if you want to spend a portion of it, you can't get over easily chisel off a portion of it not so, I think for those reasons know clearly it should be a part of a properly diversified portfolio.

It's a store of value. It's a hedge against a falling dollar in a weak economy, but I certainly wouldn't overweight. There was talking to a certified kingdom advisor in Delaware this afternoon. He was talking to me about a client that literally this week, despite his encouraging otherwise polled $3 million out of the stock market and put it all in physical gold and I just think that's the wrong move I think we've got a check. Our hearts and to see why is it were doing this when you know when we look at historically whether or not that makes sense. So bottom line Ernie that not that would not be the direction I would go. I would encourage you to think about perhaps 5% of your portfolio and often times a really effective way to do that is through one of the ETF tracking indexes like GLD or any number of others that just move with the underlying price of the other precious metal that's behind it without you having to take physical possession does all that makes a yeah.that they yeah it work with. Yeah. So they track the movements of the price of the underlying in this case metal and you can find basically an ETF that tracks just about anything, whether it's a major market index of the price of silver, copper, in this case gold so that's a way to add it to a portfolio still very liquid because it's marketable, you can sell it on the stock exchange any day that the market is open but it's a way for you to get the growth of the underlying asset you know if the market were to move down it would move. Perhaps in most cases the opposite way. So I'd look into that. Perhaps talk to your advisor about it. I appreciate your call today very much but said to chagrin Falls, Ohio hi James, I can help user hi Rob, I'm doing fine how are you today doing great, thank you really love your so intent and timing is everything yesterday to listen to the show. You all were talking about Ivonne and just so happened that today were meeting with one of our financial advisors can we have the discussion concerning Ivonne are we have trust for our grandchildren and we want to further and he thought Ivonne put it this way to go and so that my wife and I think is when we went to the treasurer website. The part of the Ivonne the fixed interest rate is zero and we were concerned about that. Okay listen were headed to a break them and ask you to hold this is a great question. You just talk about Ivonne yesterday. How we'll talk about that just around this is moneywise live today with much more to come moneywise live on my last post just before the regular talking to James and chagrin Falls, Ohio. James wondering about high bonds rates, investment option, especially right now the I of course standing for inflation. And if there's something going on certainly are seeing in the headlines you're experiencing at the grocery store.

It's the inflation yoke the CPI just recently came out. That's the core price index up 6.2% year-over-year, which is the highest level since November 1990, when we pull out food and energy from the CPI index. It's still up 4.6% year-over-year, the highest since 91.

So clearly I inflation's here the Fed early on calls it called a transitory, which is their way of saying it's good to be short lived there backing off that now we expected to be around for little while and James, I think for that reason. This is a good move here. These are guaranteed they have tax-deferred inflation-adjusted interest there liquid after year, and as you said, I believe the most you can buy is 10,000 a year per person you right now. The annualized rate is just over 7% when you combine the fixed rate which is you said is zero with the composite rate of 7.1. It's the second highest initial rate ever offered on these bonds would just make them really attractive and I wouldn't be concerned about that fixed rate being at zero because as I mentioned, I think know the inflation issue we have going on right now with elevated prices is not going away anytime soon and you could liquidate these after year. So I think this is a great move for you okay great thank you. We'll see what that part and absolutely, thank you so much. Very good living just mentioned our friends and sound mind investing.org sound mind investing.org Mark Miller is on the program yesterday and said they have an article coming out next week on the Ivonne's if you want to learn more about what they are and always from a biblical perspective was sound mind investing check that out when you have a chance and we appreciate your call to Chicago, Illinois hi Tyler Kennedy for user hi going so I am not like you were just looking for like the best step to investing in the future. I know that I making way more than enough at work.

We are faithful Christians, we give we want to be for the Christian side of the time and you know you cannot alert everything but we arty have a savings account set up with for six month savings dentist like next steps looking for an inherit on 15,000 bucks. From a recent awesome so you you sit 4 to 6 months worth of expenses put aside and it sounds like you're already funding a retirement account is a right, not putting retirement account so she can get 15,000 inherited from a death in the family and that I do know that I'm making more than enough every month at work like that always surplus yeah tell me about that. How are you tracking your expenses and managing them and what kind of surplus are you seeing consistently so consistently consistently out five grand surplus amount. Yeah, that's what you've used to build up this 4 to 6 months expenses, but have you been socking away somewhere else. Why would it be somewhat newer, our marriage is itself the Lord to write a really quickly. We never been so absolutely will. That's exciting tell me do you have a retirement plan available to you at work W cute probably not not work now okay I would check on that because they may have a retirement plan that you're not aware of it could be if it's a small business maybe a simple IRA. Perhaps a 401(k) as well. That would be something I'd love for you to get started on because no I love the fact you said you're prioritizing your giving that we should do first and you want to give systematically and proportionately and I would be thinking to let the tide be your beginning point, not your ending points of thinking about how God is leading you to perhaps increase that over time then want to get that emergency fund in place. You've done that we want 3 to 6 months expenses you have that we want to live within our means you're clearly doing that got us provided you a healthy income that's allowed you to. As long you have quite a bit of surplus, then we want to start thinking about those goals that you have and these are goals that I would love for you to think about and pray about with your wife that aligned your values. So what's most important to you guys is living a life of simplicity is it being able to give generously know where do other savings goals fit on that.

Would you like to buy a house if you don't have one today and do you want to set a goal to save for that down payment of at least 20% ill.

What about other goals you have. Perhaps down the road, including increasing your giving me these are things I would wrestle with pray about. Because remember, money is a tool just to accomplish the purposes that the Lord has for you and we want to align that not with worldly standards and goals but with where God is leading you to as a couple and Lord willing. Over time as a family.

So I think apart from that process. I think you don't thinking about saving for the long term is your young and beginning to get some money going into a tax-deferred environment is key. So at the at the very least, if you don't have a retirement plan at work. I look at opening a Roth IRA for you and your wife. You can put in 6000 a year per person into that and then I perhaps go ahead and if you don't have a relationship with a financial advisor rep you get that scheduled and begin to think and dream, with a godly your financial professional on where the Lord is taking you and what are some of these goals and what's the most advantageous way to put that money aside so you can begin to accomplish those to so that make sense to listen you guys are in a really great spot.

I love that you're wanting to be found faithful. I love that you're not increasing your standard of living because usually when our income goes up, that's usually what follows and we would gotta guard against that so that we can pursue what's most important to us, doesn't mean you can increase your lifestyle along the way but I want that to happen by choice, not just because you got a raise and so I think you're certainly on the right track. I want to send you a copy of the Howard Diggins book your money counts and perhaps you and your wife can work your way through that.

Just make sure you understand some of these biblical principles we talk about here and moneywise live as you think and pray about where you're headed. And if we can help along the way. Give us a call back.

We appreciate your call to round rock Texas financing who can help you. My call before in regards to my current concern with my home.

I am single. I retired in 2018 and have been my home 15 years at the location of Amanda. The value of my home has tripled in value right now because of all of the economic policy activity going on different companies moving and a lot of people moving in the values are steadily increasing in this area so my problem is that my appliances and certain ticket items for the maintenance of my home are I can't fit my budget and I don't have an emergency fund large enough to cover Princeton or not.

Like now I can tell that my dishwasher is about to go along with washer dryer appliances along with just maintenance on my home and some intermittent deal. I thought me place where I think the time that I sell my home to about here very good understand this to be a real challenge the blessing as you mentioned is strong housing market, so this could just time to sell.

Perhaps down to talk about that just on the other side of the spring stay with us.

This is moneywise live moneywise on your financial decisions. Just talking to Nancy and Texas. Nancy, like many Americans, most Americans, especially those living in Texas are experiencing incredible run-up in the housing market but Nancy you'd said alongside that you're really struggling to take care of the repairs and improvements to the home including your appliances that are in need of repair. Let's just get a little clearer picture as to what's going on. Are you able. Apart from these repairs and renovations.

Are you able to meet your expenses each month with the income you have okay do you have anything left over marginal it's okay a marginal amount cover my food because no and you don't really have a slightly cost me can take on some part-time active files and I spent some of my emergency time to make some adjustments and some changes in my house to some repairs. If you are in their realtor in there to look at the home just to see whether you could go ahead and sell it in its current state, or whether something that they would really encourage you to do what would they say I realtor right now. I wanted to see all the realtor don't do anything with the condition against minimally I could come out with their very little changes done in the home and she was thinking somewhere around 40 240,000 would be this out of my home okay will you want to tell you home I'm writing 35,000 so you only owe 35 right now. Have you looked at where you would go if you were to sell this. Do you have an opportunity to downsize because as your home values increasing, so are the all all the others so want to make sure that if were to go through this that you could, in fact, you'll get this money which you'd obviously met quite a bit, perhaps 200,000 or so what would you do in terms of where you'd move in the big dilemma so I don't see how I can stay understand the outcome of my call. That was where things went on Ponce like okay if I sell what I didn't where to go and how much will it cost so here in Texas. Options are very not very many. Because the cost of living is going thought would have to consider looking either rural or outside of Texas key because you're living close to paycheck to paycheck is really not a lot of reserves to fall back on. Certainly don't want you to take on any dad it with regard to home-equity loan or certainly don't want any of this going credit card so I kinda push the pause button on the repairs and lesser sum that's absolutely critical.

And I'd really work hard to figure out, what is this next season look like, where would you move in. Could you find something a little further out. That's perhaps a little smaller maybe a townhome instead of a single-family home and you look at all of your options and see what could you buy for cash, where perhaps there's not as many repairs that are needed. Maybe there's some newer appliances and there were, you could, reorient your budget with less expense because now you don't have a mortgage and where you don't have some of these repairs hanging over you so I thought I'd love to challenge you to do that homework and kinda begin the maybe this realtor can help to look seriously at what your other alternatives would be because I want you to have that plan before you go ahead with the sale. We also encourage you to visit our website moneywise live.org and connect with the coach somebody who can give you their perspective and perhaps walk alongside you as you make these choices. We appreciate your call. Keep us updated and will certainly ask the Lord to give you some wisdom as you navigate this. I know it can be challenging but I'm confident of the Lord will provide. As you lean into your continued stewardship of his resources.

We appreciate your call today Nancy before we go back to the phones. It's Tuesday, which is not our normal day to talk to Bob Dall. Nevertheless, he's here with our market commentary Bob is chief investment officer across more global investments where investments and values intersect and Bob will tell you what CPI it seems like inflation is always right at the forefront. We got some headlines this week that were well it just said that these numbers are as high as they been since what the 90s exactly the highest level in 30 years. The consumer price index. As you probably know, increase seven consecutive months year-over-year were running over 6% that so-called headline inflation. Core inflation will they take out food and energy. We can live without food and energy only 4.6%.

Big numbers and inflation expected by Americans over the next 12 months.

5.7%. That's the highest on record.

So inflation is an issue is the notion that it temporary or transitory is certainly going by the wayside. Definitions to face in containing the rising price level yachts. Despite the consumer in the global economy remain strong right yeah consumers are rising to the occasion because they have in here and roll lots of money in their pocket because they haven't been able to spend it as normal through the year. Pandemic and because the government may a lot of them some checks so much with cash, and corporate America Robin. We talked about before an amazing job despite cost pressures, labor law materials passing their price increases on to consumers and businesses and we do not blink Gorham bought the products and so corporate America's earnings to be quite good and that's why the stock market continues to work higher near term. I suspect you weeks can expect to continued strength.

Q4 is usually pretty good. Beyond that, I know you said choppy is perhaps a word to describe next year I saw an article today from MorningStar saying because of their anticipated equity growth rates. They are encouraging investors to pull their typical 4% withdrawal rate in retirement down to 3.3. You are your thoughts consistent with those perhaps modest gains moving forward. Rob given the starting point reasonably high valuation in terms of price-earnings ratios are quite the book stocks are not all that sleep you believe inflation the ground for a while and earnings have been so good. Corporate profit margins are at all time. I hardly see them going higher hardness evaluations going higher. So I think returns become more eat more mediocre hunting stock return will still help cash and bond but not double digits like we've enjoyed last year's yeah it was inflation. We certainly don't want to be in cash because works losing purchasing power all the time. It's hard about before we let you go remind us where our trust ultimately should be covered with what little the last caller are trusted in the Lord. He will get us through. He will provide you use those words and I love what you said no reiterated, if not all heard it all. Everything we have our bodies are brainpower our time, our relationship and our money are all here. So the question always is not how much am I going to give how much am I going to keep of what he's given. Well said, my friend.

Thank you for joining us to bless I talk to you next week. Bob Dall is chief investment officer across more global investments. You can learn more? Global.com back to the phone lines Traverse City, Michigan hi Jeanette, how can I help you, and I am losing here and come he told his partner last month.

In the meantime because they knowingly think here, I purchased a lot and have a filter and I'm questioning now if I made the right move. Should I held off because he is living longer than expected and counted and I'm connected there in the spring. Yeah well to that person. I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's condition and I know this places quite a bit a hardship on you as you think about this. You know you've obviously already purchased this lot. What are the options before you as you consider your housing situation. We own our house completely and I paid cash for the lack think I'm okay. Not sure if getting some I get the ability to private hospital and then on I been trying to get to move for the past years because we have only to kill that are in our early 60s. Okay so your plan was to sell the home and then where would you live while your building to me about the well, it would probably where I live healthy art, though I felt very quick if I could have market and were you planning to stay there until the construction was completed and then move into the new home okay and have you think you arty have a relationship with a contractor you know how much that's going to cost and you got a plan for how you would fund that her will that come out of the proceeds of the home sale and use of construction will about 50,000. And I have another condo cannot be set out a year in North Carolina I and I have my husband's IRA the others. There's enough moving parts here that I really my opinion here, and I'd love to get you connected with either coach or certified kingdom advisor completely and I'll personally help to navigate that with you so you get connected somebody to help send alignment to get your information. I'll follow up with you will get you connected with all the pieces and parts for specific ways. What is a partnership between Moody radio and money. What is media.

Thank you, Eric and Jim couldn't do it without them come back and join us tomorrow