Tis the Season

Published on: December 19, 2023 by Joe Galloway Comment

Every ministry I’ve ever given to sends me emails and snail mail at this time of year to encourage me to give even more. After all, Christmas tis the season for giving. And this giving season begins in Advent, right on the heels of “Giving Tuesday” just a couple of weeks ago.

I can’t help but sometimes feel irritated. But, when I step back and think about the needs these ministries address and the good they do for our communities, my irritation wanes. I begin a mild chastisement of myself and own up to just how blessed I am.

How Blessed are You?!

What about you? Take a moment and think about how blessed you are. When I ask seminar attendees to share their blessings I hear the answers you’d expect: family, job, home, health. Yes, of course. Add to these the astounding truth of God’s unconditional love for us, His lavish mercy and forgiveness – wow! And more, the incredible fact of Jesus suffering and dying on the cross so that by our faith in Him, we can have eternal life with God in heaven – oh my goodness. It is overwhelming. This amazing truth invites a response.

Think about the gifts you give to your loved ones. How do they compare to gifts given to acquaintances and business associates? Where does God rank on this list? Does your giving accurately reflect how much you love God?

In this season of Advent, we joyfully await the gift of Jesus coming into our lives. Let us give back like God gives. As disciples, we should strive to be like Him (Mt 10:25). Whenever we give, we are being like Him. When we give, we experience a unique closeness to God, our Father that only comes to us as we are generous. Like all parents, God wants to see His children being kind and generous and loving. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9: 7).

May we give in proportion to our blessings, and in proportion to our income. It is in doing that that we help ministries overcome their increased inflationary costs. And giving to them makes us a part of their mission. Helping them helps us make an impact and gives purpose to our lives.

Blessings to you this Advent season. It is in giving, in acts of love and generosity that we best prepare the way of the Lord. May we all open our hearts and give this Advent and always.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Luke 12:43 – Good Stewards Share Resources

Published on: October 19, 2022February 15, 2023 by Joe Galloway

As good stewards, we know we are to share our resources with others out of love and justice. We are to be vigilant servants about works of mercy – providing food, clothing, and shelter to those in need; visiting the sick and imprisoned. At Luke 12:43, Jesus calls you “blessed” if He finds you doing so when He returns.

Don’t be complacent because you think the Master is long delayed. Look for the needs that are within your reach and act.

Give and reveal God’s presence.

Give because INYM.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You cannot serve God and mammon

Published on: September 21, 2022October 20, 2022 by Joe Galloway Comment

Luke 16:13

How can money be a tool to help you grow closer to Christ? It is important that money be at our service. We need to be trustworthy in our use of dishonest wealth as we work to build God’s kingdom because Jesus is clear – we cannot serve both God and mammon.

Money is at our service when we put God first in our finances, when we give first before any other bills or savings.

Give to charities that do works of mercy.

Give because – INYM.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

INYM – The Book, Podcast 9

Published on: August 24, 2022September 21, 2022 by Joe Galloway Comment

Hello and welcome to another podcast of It’s Not Your Money: Finding the Peace of Putting God First. It’s Not Your Money seeks to connect your faith with your financial life by exploring what God has to say about money and possessions in the Bible. You can guess that the truth in the Bible is often at odds with the advice and opinion given by respected financial sources.

Why is that? Where do our ideas of success and happiness come from? On the last cast I suggested that they come from “the World”. The World is that collection of temporal and carnal desires that become ends in themselves with no thought of God. That world is ruled by illusions that lead to selfishness, scarcity, and fear. Madison Avenue entices us with ads that drive our desire for more. Wall Street warns us that unless we invest more, we won’t have enough for the future. These worldly sources tell us what we must have and what we must do to be happy and be considered successful. Let’s consider a couple of maxims – common sayings – of the world, and compare them to what God says about it.

First up – have you ever seen the bumper sticker that says, “Whoever has the most toys, wins.”? This tells us that to have a fulfilling life, to be thought successful, we need more and better stuff. A McMansion, a luxury brand car, designer handbags, a new 85 inch curved screen HiDef TV, and how about a TaylorMade Stealth Driver for the golf bag – it only costs $580 – for one club! And that’s the thing.

The way to happiness according to “the World” is through our cash – or worse – credit cards. Happiness and success have a cost, probably a bit more than we should spend. Spending on these things may make us happy for a while. But it is fleeting, short-lived.

God tells us in Luke 12:15 to be on guard against greed, that though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions. He also tells us in Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 that if we love money, we will never be satisfied. If we long to be rich, we will never get what we want.

Here’s another maxim from Wall Street – Pay yourself first. You’ve probably heard that. It is sound financial planning advice. Have your retirement plan contribution deducted right from your paycheck. That way, it doesn’t make it into our checking account where it might get spent before you save it. This makes perfect sense – to pay yourself first before any other bills get paid.

Except God tells us to pay Him first. Deuteronomy 18:4 directs that we shall give Him the first fruits of our grain, wine, oil and shearing of the flock. Proverbs 3:9 instructs us to honor the Lord with our wealth, with the first fruits of all we produce. So, we are to pay God first. How about signing up for online giving! And then pay yourself second.

These Bible verses seem to conflict with what “the World” – our culture tells us. The Bible often sounds counter-cultural. God asks us to be different, to do things differently than what the world recommends. And that can be challenging. But let me ask you, how is all that striving to earn more so that you can get more working out?

Find the peace you seek by putting God first in your life including and especially in your spending. When I embraced this approach to my finances, I began to realize the peace of mind that I sought. Giving to God first in my budget put the proper priority on how I spent, and eliminated the stress over where the rest of the money went. It is freeing! Learn more about this in the book. Get copies at the website www.itsnotyourmoney.org

Thank you for listening. Please share this podcast with your friends and family. And please like my FB page. And be open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance to you to be courageous and counter-cultural by putting God first in your finances.

Till next time, Be Well.