Q&A: How Do I Choose a Financial Finish Line? (Ep. 4)

Kealan and Cody break down the question, “How do I choose a finish line for my spending?”. A majority of the time, when someone’s income goes up, their spending goes up some degree as well. But when we really think about the idea that everything that we have belongs to God, we realize that there is only so much that we need for ourselves and our families. A finish line is the maximum amount we need to support ourselves and our families each month. If God blesses us with any income beyond our finish line, we set it aside to give away as God leads us. There are a number of practical considerations when choosing a finish line, and the guys break each of these down one by one.

NOTE: The Finish Line Pledge was formerly known as Aspiring to the Median. All references to Aspiring to the Median and to www.aspiringtothemedian.com are interchangeable with the Finish Line Pledge and www.finishlinepledge.com. The former IMPACT program has since evolved into Finish Line SPRINTs. 

QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

• “If you think back through the Bible narrative, even back to Genesis 1, God creating everything from nothing, it seems obvious that everything belongs to God, but that’s often not how we intrinsically think about our finances.”
• “There’s an intense physical ownership that we feel when it comes to our money.”
• “When we see ourselves as a manager of something that belongs to God, the question starts to change from ‘How much do I owe back to God’ to ‘How much of God’s wealth should I be taking for myself?'”
• “Money and wealth are very powerful, and there are two sides to that coin”
• “One thing that is clear is that our wealth on this earth certainly will not follow us to Heaven”
• “You never see a hearse followed by a uHaul”

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

• God and Money by John Cortines and Greg Baumer
• The IMPACT program

BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW

Ecclesiastes 5:12 | No Satisfaction in Money

Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 | Money is a Root of All Kinds of Evil

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 | Don’t Put Hope in Wealth

18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Matthew 6:19-21 | Where Your Treasure Is, Your Heart Is

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 25:35-40 | What You Did for the Least of These

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

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