Intro & The Reality of Why We Work

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Welcome to the Monday Morning Men podcast. We are here to bridge the gap between your Sunday morning sermon and your Monday morning real life reality. We're just two dudes who love Jesus, love his word, and want to help you understand it even more. So this morning I'm here with Thomas Dellinger. As always, we're here early and we're about to to dive in. You got anything you want to just just give us off the bat here?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

I just want to record once on a Monday. Like bothers my spirit that we do it on a Tuesday and Thursday. We're just living a we're just it's we're frauds. It does, it feels we'll get into hypocrisy one of these days. We'll have to cover that because it feels that way. No, I'm excited. This is this is gonna be a good one.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Awesome. Uh we've we've recorded a bunch of these episodes to drop, um, and we have no feedback at all. It's just us, it's just us. So um if you are uh if you want to give us some feedback, if you've got topics that you want to have us cover, or if you got prayer requests, whatever it is, email us at info at mondaymorningmen.com and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Yeah, Lord willing, by the time this actually releases, there's actually a website or at least something to access. But we'll see. Yeah. This is just we we have normal jobs. Yeah. And families, families, yeah, and church and all the things. But yeah, uh, hopefully at some point we'll have definitely more resources. But I'm excited about today. Good deal.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Okay, so this morning we're talking about uh money and materialism. You got a you got a pretty weighty word for us this morning.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

This is a this is a good good topic. Yeah, like even as I was writing and thinking about it, like it's a convicting, like even if you're listening to this, it's not we don't just do this and we're thinking about other people. When I write this, I'm definitely thinking

Why Money & Materialism Matter for Christian Men

SPEAKER_00 2:27

of me as the subject in mind. Sometimes you. Actually, mostly you've not respect. Yeah, yeah. But no, I'm not, it's like you know, you sit there and you think that we're having this judgment maybe towards like certain people of the church or whatever, and a lot of this is just birthed out of things that I'm trying to grow in and learn as a layman, just like everybody else, as someone that works a you know, blue-collar job. Um blue collar? Well, it might be white. It might be white-collar. I hang out with blue-collar. I like the blue collar. Uh, but yeah, it's uh it's one of those things that this is a this is definitely a subject that I think is really important, um, that we'll start to get into. But money and materialism. That's what we want to discuss today. Yeah, let's go. Let's get into it. I I actually wrote this down. I was like, I'd written, I even thought, I was like, there's so much material on this. That's not a pun. I mean, as a dad, I can appreciate a good pun, but it was it's an overwhelming um topic with so many different opinions, especially in America and our Western culture. This is a really this is one of those topics that everybody, I mean, there's a book on Christian wealth, there's a book on uh money and and just all the inform, I mean, everywhere, everywhere you go. Um, and I'm not gonna try to break down everything on it, but I just want to give some thoughts from scripture. And the reason I think it's super important for us to focus on money and materialism is that this is a podcast that's geared towards men, Monday morning men. You're probably, hopefully, you're listening to this maybe even on your way to the your job, uh, your job, which gives you money to buy things, materialism. So this is something that as we work, our jobs should be near and dear and fundamental part of your life as as you provide for your family. So I think it's really important for us to discuss this topic, especially as you know, men that are wanting

The Real “Why” Behind Your Job & Career

SPEAKER_00 4:16

to walk out faithfulness and obedience. But it kind of came to me the job that I work, uh, they make us get up in front of everybody. And we have to give our why. I'm sure there's a reason they do it. I'm sure some motivational coach told them this will help morale. Who knows? I have no idea. I don't care. But they give a good, they we we all get up and we give our why, which as I watch it, I'm always just looking for patterns. I'm a patterns kind of guy. And I watched everybody, we're all there for money. The why we're there to make money, which is which is normal and and right. Um, but it's after the why that you get to see the fruit of who they really are. Um, and I watch and I do, I work uh, I'm I'm I'm blessed to have a really good job, and you know, these people are relatively well off, and I see them spending their money on just stuff and telling people it's stuff or the pleasures of this world. And I remember even sitting there, and these are unbelievers for the most part, and I remember sitting there thinking to myself, it was just kind of gross and not in a bad way. Like, I don't, they weren't, they were happy, like I don't want you, like I was sitting there in judgment, but it was like, wow, the materialism and the money wealth grab was there. And then I thought to myself, when it was my turn, how much different is my response than theirs? Or if I were to go to a normal church and be like, hey, give me your why behind your job, would our why sound extremely different than theirs? And the more I thought about it, I was like, I don't think so. And that's a terrifying place to be, especially if we're to be in the world but not of it. If we're to look completely separate and to follow Jesus with all of our hearts, um we should have a different response to our why. Uh so today we're gonna be in Matthew chapter six, and I've said I think I said this last episode. We'll be a lot in in the Sermon on

You Cannot Serve God and Money (Matthew 6 Explained)

SPEAKER_00 6:10

the Mount, yeah. Matthew chapter five, six and seven. We'll be in uh you know discussing fruits of the spirit because it's the best way to process how we're to practically live out our lives in faithfulness and obedience. Um, but yeah, this is where we're gonna we're gonna be. Matthew six, twenty-four, and we're gonna reference different parts in this chapter, uh, but Matthew six, twenty four is uh the kind of the verse that probably the verse on scripture uh about money. I mean, there's so many of them, but the one that most people can quote, even a lot of people in the world, and it's uh this no one can serve two masters, either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Um this is an immediate rub to a lot of Christian entrepreneurs. This is an immediate rub to even your prosperity gospel, your even a lot of your pastors at this point. Money makes the world go round. Uh, we live in the land of opportunity. Um, so so the the reality

Are You Rich? The Truth About Wealth in America

SPEAKER_00 7:12

is like if you're listening to this and you're like, well, I'm not wealthy, maybe maybe listen to this and you're just like, I'm barely getting by. Just so you understand the stats, like in our area right now, the average income is like 69 to 70k, which puts you at the top 5% in the world. Or if you want to, that's a household income. So individual, if you're making about 35,000, you're in the top 5% in the world. Um, so I know that cost of living is high, and that you know, you'd be like, I'm barely getting by. I'm not saying that things aren't difficult, but this is a relative term. Like we are so much better off than most people. We're so much better off than even the people Jesus was talking to in Matthew chapter six. So just have a like, please understand that you can be like, Well, I'm not as wealthy as my buddy that has a beach house, and that that may be true, but your mindset and materialism and the way that view you view money, whether you're well off or not, you can still be a slave to it. Um, and and that's something we want to discuss and and kind of get into, like, even no matter your economic status, how much money you're bringing in, this is something that we all need to grow in. I put this down. I said, remember, no matter your success or lack of cess, success doesn't show the status of your heart. So please just hear my heart in this, and like wherever you are, don't sit here and judgment whether you're well off or you're not. Um, this is a heart issue ultimately, not based on how big your house is. I put the amount of the money or the lack of money doesn't show if you love money or if you're living a life of materialism or not. You could be living a life right now, you could be dirt born and still be living a life full of materialism and full of the love of money. So ultimately, my goal for this episode is that we're gonna ask ourselves a few questions, three to be specific to help reveal our heart. And once we're done, hopefully there's some conviction that takes place, and then we can get into some application and see if we can course correct some of this behavior. Um, so three questions we'll be getting into, but real quick, if you're listening to this, and um there's probably a part of you that's kind of annoyed. Hopefully, that's already annoyed. You're just like, I really don't want to hear this. I need you to understand this is a huge deal to God. Huge. Um for us to walk in the temporal things to become our idols have such huge implications and consequences, uh, huge dangers, actually. Um, I put this, I said, we need to realize God's emphasis on the subject and that we're flirting with danger when we're not walking properly in line with what He's called, He's called us to do. This is a like this is a big deal to God. Just this isn't my big deal, this isn't my idea. This is something that we're gonna ultimately base everything in scripture. And here's just three verses, just so you can consider them. First Timothy 6, 10. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. We all know this verse, by the way. But here, here, we don't usually finish it, especially if you're kind of, hey, I'm working a job, I'm climbing the corporate ladder, I'm chasing after some of these things. Listen to this. It says, and in their eagerness to be rich, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. Mark 8 36, what good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Romans 2, 8. But for those who are self-seeking, you know, selfish ambition is kind of how this is interpreted. Those that are trying to gain something and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. God's not messing around. He has a huge um desire for us to

Question 1: Why Are You Really Chasing That?

SPEAKER_00 10:36

walk in the fullness of who he is, that he is the abundance. We've talked about joy. He is the abundance of our joy. He knows that everything, both in money and materialism, are there's no fulfillment there. He is our fulfillment. So here are the questions. So let's get into your heart. Let's ask ourselves a few things that we can kind of process and consider as we're asking ourselves, are we walking in materialism? Are we we walking in a desire for more money? Are we greedy? Here's question one. Ask yourself why. We started out with this question. This is what my, you know, my job, this is kind of what set me on this path. Why? Uh, I think it's an amazing question to ask. Um, it's funny, like I've I've taken out loans before. Uh, you know, back when I had my own business, you know, we applied for things. They always want to know your mission statement. Why are you doing what you're doing? Right. I mean, if if the world is requiring the answer this question, why are we as Christians not holding ourselves to that same standard? That's, I mean, that's a normal business practice. Uh, this isn't a new concept. You know, you have to give in a reason why. And it's a simple answer for us as you're pondering why are you doing what you're doing? Why do you do the job? And if it is not rooted in the mission that God has placed in your life to work towards the things above, we have a problem. Like that's the first evidence that you have. If this is not an, if it, if it is for, and there's nothing wrong with stuff. The stuff is never, just for the record, it's never just the stuff that's the problem. It's the desire to continue to accumulate things for yourself for selfish ambition, for self-fulfillment, and it's not rooted in Christ. Listen to this 1 John 2, 15 and 17. Like, and I just encourage you guys, like, open the word of God and it will pierce you. I just, even as I read this verse when I was writing it, you know, putting it in my notes, I was like, it made me just so uncomfortable. I just did. Do not love the world or the things in the world for all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches comes not from the father, but from the world. Like, I don't know about you, but I would love some Christian business conference to open up with that verse. They would never do it, right? Like that there's a sense of like, I mean, it is so contrary. And not that there's anything, and we can there's nuances to this, obviously. I'm not against God has you know financially blessed us. I'm not against money. Um, I'm not against having stuff, but this is a heart issue. And you're, you know, if you're listening to this, it sounds like semantics, but I assure you it's not. Um, I promise you that that your heart disposition is a really big deal. It's easy just to be like, well, I'm gonna sell everything like the rich young ruler and just, you know, follow Jesus. That's great and uh more power to you if you're doing that. But that isn't necessarily the answer. This is a disposition of the heart. Um, even Philippians 2, 3, which I put here, do nothing from selfish ambition or to conceit, right? There's this idea of it's like that's a disposition of the heart. He didn't say if you do something, you make lots of money, and now we have a problem. It's always this disposition. Um, you have any thoughts on it? I'll let you open up. Do you have any questions? You know, that's question one. We can dialogue about this for a second, too. I'm I want to open this up. This may be one of those episodes that needs a lot more dialogue. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Are you are you asking this just in the context of why you're doing your job or or about why am I buying this or why am I is this like what's the what's the check here that we're going for?

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Yeah, great question. Perfect. Um why yeah, why why do you do your job, right? Is is a question one. Um I would even say kind of like the why behind uh specifically even the monetary amount that you're chasing. Why do you need a certain amount? Um, it can be what why are you buying things? I mean, the why needs to be answered on all questions. Um you know, we we I think that can be that that why, whatever when that whatever question popped into your mind, right? Like, why am I working so hard when I don't have to? Why am I why am I we'll get into this a little bit, but you know, accumulating so much of my time and allocating it to something when I should be doing something else, why? Yeah, or um, and you have the freedom to not do that, you know. If God's bless you, have a little bit more flexibility. Or why are you chasing that promotion that's now requiring you more time away from your family? Why? Or yeah, I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna buy X, and there's a check in your spirit. Why? You know, or you know, it's like uh you know, just answer it. Ask that question. So that's a great question. You gotta have a lot of self-awareness, a lot to be able to recognize those patterns in your life. I the I have this quote later, but that's I have to just add it right now. Um, I I saw this on a podcast. They they didn't know the author, and and neither do I, but there was this thing, uh, this guy wrote, it said, greed is the one thing that you can't see about yourself. And I thought about it and I was like, they're right. Like, like you can kind of know when you're like, Yeah, I was angry. Like, I mean, we all know I was angry, but greed is something that it's really hard because it's such a heart issue. Yeah, like it's easy to look at the dude that has a really nice house and be like, Well, he's greedy. You don't know that, right? You know, I mean, there's some, I mean, I guess there's some degree of which you can be like, okay, but but for the most part, we don't know the disposition of his heart. And the same goes for us. Greed is the one thing we can't see about ourselves. So that's yeah. Let's go to question two. So what? It's not like just what though. Um, you've answered kind of why you're doing what you're doing now, in whatever

Question 2: When Is It Actually Enough?

SPEAKER_00 16:10

capacity that is, as we were addressing. But then the question is, is at what point is it enough? This is really important. Um, no matter kind of what job you have, um this is not, and I just don't think in like a monetary means. I'm thinking even time. Time is the most precious gift that we have. So if you're listening to this and you're like, okay, uh, you know, I want to throw out numbers because I don't want to pigeonhole people, but if you're you're working a job and you're be able to provide for your family and there's an opportunity for you to grow in that company, to make more money, to have more prestige or power. The question I actually I had a buddy call me one time and he was like, Hey, should I take a new job? And I said, Dude, time is money. And I said, Is this job gonna elevate your is it gonna, you know, is it financially freeing for you because you're financially your burden? And I said, if so, that's great. That's a that's a blessing. I said, or is it freeing up your time, even if it's not necessarily a pay raise, but it's freeing up your time to be with your family, to serve your community, then do that. So just act just ask yourself at what point is it enough? This is something that I think as men we really struggle with because we want to conquer the next thing.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

But if our mission, if we've answered properly the why, our conquering and our dominion is a mission mindset of kingdom, of discipleship, of loving others, of serving. So we don't have to take this conquering mindset to our jobs necessarily. Yeah, not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm just saying at what point it's like, hey, God, you've provided these means because he's the provider, and now we want to get into you know what you've called me to do in my community and with my church and family. Um, Luke 12, 15 says this take care, be on guard against all kinds of greed. For one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. You can even, I mean, there's other verses, but you can add it to the abundance of whatever your stuff, your riches, your prestige, your your your whatever says on your LinkedIn profile, how whatever it is, be on guard for all sorts of kinds of greed. Hebrews 13, 5 says, keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have. For he said to you, I will never leave you or forsake you. Our contentment and our our satisfaction comes from God, not how high you've climbed the corporate ladder, how much money your business is making, how big your business has gotten. Right? He's our provider, he's the one that has um all the all the impact in the world. We just want to be faithful and fruitful in what he's given us. So, question one, why, two, when, or excuse me, what, and then now we'll get into when, which is question three. Uh, John MacArthur had a sermon I remember when it came out, it's like a real big deal. Uh Joelstein had just written his book, uh, Your Best Life Now. And so John MacArthur, who I do appreciate, he wrote a sermon called Your Best Life Now or Later. And it's a great question. Um, and it's tongue in cheek. And I think if you probably are reading scripture, you're listening to this, you probably realize like it's not your best life now. I don't think I'm

Question 3: Are You Living for Today or Eternity?

SPEAKER_00 19:18

earth-shattering to anybody. But I do think that if we're genuine, we are living trying to live our best life now, though. So we can understand the concept is wrong, and yet in our lifestyle, we're chasing that. Yeah. Um, so when are you trying to live your best life? And that that's a question. As you work your job and you've answered your why, you've asked your what, when are you trying? Are you living for now or later? And that's a really if you're honest with yourself, I know when I was on, I'm like, dude, I live for myself sometimes for right now in this moment. Matthew 6. So we back up a few verses. So we had started in Matthew 6, 24. Now go back to 19. And this is a verse we all know. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Like this is a simple verse. This is stuff that they teach in kids' church. Yeah. And yet as adults, we don't apply any of this. We're just like, nah. Like I'll pass. Like it's like I'll do both. That's ultimately what we say. Like, if I were, if I could put a if I could put my like uh finger on the like the the pulse of the evangelical church in our western culture, we agree with his verse. Like, yeah, we'll store it for you know king, you know, kingdom treasures, but we're gonna do also here, and we justify that. And yet ignoring three verses later, you can't serve both. So I I it's it's this kind of conundrum that we're on that I really want to challenge your heart and be like, hey, where are you at right now? What are you striving for? What are you trying to do? Um ask yourself these three questions to kind of get into like where your heart's at.

SPEAKER_02 20:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:00

And then we need to, you know, course correct some of this behavior. Let's get into some application now. Unless you want to have you have any thoughts before we get into some application? Anything you want to throw in? Yeah. Um that thing you want to repent of. That's so much.

SPEAKER_01 21:15

What a terrible thing to say. The allure of that that that next promotion, or I'll be happy when I get to X income or get this thing, it's such a trap because it's called the like hedonic um adaptation. Okay. Which is like the human tendency to get back to an like a steady state of happiness or whatever it is. And it's more it's like human psychology. It's like whatever the floor becomes or the ceiling becomes the floor, and you think you get to this point of achievement and success, and it's like, well, our family will be okay when we make X amount a year, but then that becomes that quickly becomes the floor. Exactly. And so there's that income creep that happens that you think that b once I achieve this, like then things will be fine. But I think there's principles of being content at no matter what income level that you're at or what amount of stuff. Because if it if you don't get that at what whatever baseline, as as soon as you start to accumulate more or make more money, it's that you're you're Dealing with the same stuff, there's just more zeros behind it. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Well, well, and we've talked about joy and happiness. And if happiness we remember is coming, you know, at you as joy flows from you, it will make you happy. I'm not gonna argue. Like that everybody likes to think that they're successful and have people appreciate it, of course. I've never seen somebody frowning on a jet ski. Exactly. Or in their private jet, right? Like right. That there's a sense of like it will provide a super quick happiness, but it's not long-lasting joy and it's not coming from ultimately the fullness of Jesus, and it's so temporal. Um, so I'm not arguing if you're sitting there and you're like, look, I'm like, I appreciate good food. Like I really don't care if we're you know on the budget and we're eating, you know, ground turkey and rice, but it's like I would like to have a steak. There's nothing like I get it, but at the same time realizing that that is still a fleeting desire. There's nothing wrong with certain things, but understand that the joy comes from Jesus, which again, reference, go back, listen to that episode if you haven't heard it, because that'll help kind of even bring in some of that contentment, which we'll get to in just a second here. Um, so let's get into some of that application. I I mentioned at the beginning this was a big deal to God. Um, I you know, we were talking beforehand. Remember, like when Jesus was tempted, what he was tempted with. And this was one of the things Satan took him to the top and said, look at all the wonders or the stuff of the world. Like Satan wasn't selling Jesus mountains, he literally was showing him all that the cities had to offer, all of the things. Um, and there's this, there's this like thought, like, here's God on earth. And one of the trump cards that Satan was going to play was materialism and money and greed and desire. Yeah. Who is the the maker of all things? He's like, This might get him. So for you to sit here and be like, Well, this is not a big deal. It's like just so you know, you saying that, Satan's already kind of winning. Yeah, like he's already had you buy into this, that it's not that big of a deal. Um, he didn't tempt him with the things that maybe as men, you know, like he didn't put up there some sort of lust trap. I'm not saying he he he didn't. We don't know all that he tempted him with, but the things in scripture, this was one of the things referenced. And I think it was a warning for us. This is what they're coming after Jesus with, the one you're following, he will come after you with the same mentality. Um, so it's a big deal. And listen to this. Uh, I put this down because hopefully now you're spurned into action. You're like, I just want to walk in godliness, faithfulness, and obedience, and and our desire to do that, which is ultimately the goal of this podcast. First Timothy 6, 6 is a verse that you know you even reference in contentment. But godliness with contentment is great gain. What a what a unique verse by Paul. It's like, hey, you can be godly, but contentment can still be a struggle. Again, big issue. Again, something that we can all still struggle with. Like, he's like, be godly, but do it with contentment because it's that hard. Yeah. Um, I put here, if you struggle with materialism, something you can apply this week, if you struggle with materialism, the answer is more God and less of us, right? We know this. Um, we know John 3:30 that he must increase, we must decrease, right? This is John the Baptist, who, by the way, had nothing. Like at that point, I'm like, what are you letting go, dude? Your your camel hair shirt, like, but he must, right? If this is coming, this is something we know that we need to do. God says in Psalms uh 16, 11, you make known to me the path of life in your presence. There's fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures of evermore. That initial mindset that you can even start to think about this week, super simple, is like realize that your joy comes from him and not from other things. And and if you realize, like, if there's ever, I've been trying to do this, and just as an example, like there are times where you're just like, I'm kind of feeling off or I'm kind of feeling down, or whatever it is, taking that moment to pray and to read God's word is a super simple thing. Like, don't chase uh comfort food, don't chase buying something, maybe that kind of shopping, whatever it instead of trying to chase something to make you feel better, chase him and realize that fullness of joy is gonna come from him. But here's so that's just kind of like a to help mindset's a hard thing to practically play out when that's a heart disposition that you're gonna have to lay before God. But as far as uh like what you can do this week

Radical Generosity: The Widow’s Mite Challenge

SPEAKER_00 26:52

and make it real uncomfortable for everybody right now, um my second idea for you is to find where you're giving out of your abundance and give out of your poverty. This is based out of Luke chapter 21. We were doing family devotions, and I was rocked this night. It's the story of the widow's might, we all know it. And Jesus is sitting there watching them give into the offering, and the disciples are standing there and they're watching, which is just an interesting thing, like that Jesus wanted to do this, but we're not getting into all that. But he's watching and he watches the rich men pour all of their money into there, and he doesn't judge them, he doesn't say they're in sin. He he like we paint these guys as bad guys. Jesus doesn't, he just watches them and he tells his disciples, and um, you know, a verse or two later, he says they give out of their abundance, and then when the widow gives, he says she gives out of her poverty. And the way that's translated is the very essence in which she needs to live. Um, we as Western Christians, we give out of our abundance. We we we give when it's like, oh, I'm giving we give it to it for our tax write-offs. We give our quote unquote 10% or whatever you feel led to give, but it's ultimately just a duty that we do, and it's never like really hurting our pockets. I found this. This is I kid you not. I I I I was writing this, and this happened very recently. You know, I have certain people that I want to give to, and and to some degree it's budgeted and I know what I'm giving. And I got a text from somebody and was like, hey, can you give to this? Like, and it like this person was asking for money, but for somebody else, mind you, this is not a write-off. I get no tax refund from this, and they were asking for a lot of money. And I was like, What the heck? Like, this is not in the budget, and you know what immediately my spirit wanted to do? I literally was like, Well, I could stop giving here this month, and I could allocate it to this. And and I was like, and it mind you, as I'm writing this, my initial response was like, Oh my gosh, I can, I can, you know, that way I don't, it doesn't make me uncomfortable or it doesn't hurt the budget this month. Yeah, that is someone giving out of their abundance. That was my heart in that moment. It's like I'll give. I just don't want it to hurt. Like, I'll give when it's just not uncomfortable. Look, I'm just if you're listening, I'm with you guys. Like, I struggle with this too. Thomas is not walking this out well. Like, I was literally, I was just sitting there and I was like, ugh, this is uncomfortable. But ask yourself this are you giving out of your abundance or are you giving out of your poverty? Proverbs 21, 26 says this all the day long he craves for more. He's talking about the greedy man, right? You crave for more. I want more stuff, I want more money, I want more prestige. But the righteous, it says, gives without sparing. They don't try to allocate their funds, they don't try to, oh, this is gonna put me behind on my business plan or where I need to go. No, I give without sparing. I'm just freely giving. Yeah. Here's the the third one: trade something you do for yourself and do it for others. First John 3.17 says this if anyone has material possessions and sees his brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? When we say, you know, it obviously it's referring to material possessions, but this is it, this is easy to trade whatever materialistic or thing that you're doing for yourself to do for others. I have to quote George Mueller here because obviously you can't have a topic about money materialism without realizing the goat of walking this out practically. He says money is really worth no more than as it can be used to accomplish the world's work. Life is worth as much as it is spent for the Lord's service. You want to know the answer behind your first question of a why? Why I do it? I work for the money, and it's only as good as it's used for God's service, not for you. Let that preach in your business Christian conference. Like, make all the money that you can and use every dollar because it's only as good as you can use it for the kingdom, not for your stuff, not for your prestige, not for your house, your car, not that you can't have certain things that God's blessed you with, but I'm just saying, listen, we're checking our hearts right now. It's only worth as much as it is for the kingdom. We're storing up treasures, not for now, but for later. Here's a couple of ideas that you can do this week. Um, I put this down. Instead of taking the family to dinner, maybe if you've got a dinner budget, you know, taking the family out to eat, which is great, use that money to host another family. Or take a family out. Maybe, maybe you've been blessed a little bit more financially. Maybe it's like I can afford a decent restaurant. Maybe you know a family that can't. Why don't you take them? Like, why don't you give to them, pour into, let them experience something that God's blessed you with, and then love on them, right? You can do that this week. Text the family, hey, I'm gonna take you to dinner. I remember when we first were young, uh, Mary and I were just together and had no money, and people took us to dinner. And I remember it just it felt so good just to be loved on and and them paying for it and letting us enjoy uh a simple pleasure. You can do that this week. Here's a real extremism, but I'm I'm a huge fan of it. What if you traded your family vacation for a missions trip? Now we're just getting mean. Now people are just like, yeah, I hate that idea. But what a beautiful message you can send to your kids right now. Like, hey, this money that we're making, we're not self-serving. There's nothing wrong with family vacation. I love the beach. I'm for a vacation. You know, especially for my wife and I did take a vacation and live as a vacation with the kids.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

But kids don't need a vacation, their whole life is a vacation.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

It's a whole they they do. They live in a vacation. But for us, it's like, what if we took this time to communicate even to our kids? We have worked, like George Mueller said, all the money that we have made, we're not gonna self-serve us, we're gonna go and serve other people. What a beautiful message you're sending to them in the world. And then this one is the idea trade your me time, like golf or whatever your thing is. And I love golf, by the way. Um, so I'm not against it. But what if you sometimes maybe maybe cut some of it back and serve someone else, the widows, the needy, serving your church and your community? A lot of times we say we don't have time for some of that, and then I'm like, how much time have you made for yourself? Yeah, right. I mean, I think about that all the time. Um kind of last final thoughts. Um, remember, we're dying to ourselves. I mean, guys, this is the goal of this podcast. We're dying to ourselves, we we're decreasing, he's increasing, and we're walking in faithfulness and obedience. This is a really practical, uncomfortable way that really probably attacks our identity of success and money and who we think we are. But our identity is not wrapped up in what we do, how much we have, or anything like that. It's wrapped up in Jesus. I have this final thought from this poem that I heard that is amazing. Uh I think Lynn Cohen is who wrote it. We don't know. It's technically an author unknown. I did some research because I always want to give props to whoever wrote it. But this poem, if this just doesn't put you on your butt, I can't help you. Listen, I counted dollars while God counted crosses. I counted gains while God counted losses. I counted my worth, my things gained in store, and he sized me up by the scars that I bore. I counted honor and sought degrees. He counted the hours I spent on my knees. I never knew until one day by the grave how vain are the things that we spend life to save. May He count our crosses this week, may He count our losses, us living out of our poverty and not giving out of our abundance, and may we be faithful and obedient to walk in the fullness of God and not the fullness of our stuff. That's all I have.

SPEAKER_01 34:58

Good stuff.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

What do you think the antidote to materialism is? Well, it has to be Jesus ultimately, which I know sounds like an American or Christian cliche, but but the reality is like when we ask that question, like what's better? I have to just wonder, have you tasted and seen just a little bit? Or has your stuff come to a place where it's like, well, it's easy. What what can I practically do? I just get rid of all my stuff. It's like I wouldn't just necessarily get rid of stuff, I would fill it with something else, and I would just struggle to wonder how much you're filling it with Jesus. Yeah. Like if you really have been with him, I mean you're not taking anything to heaven because you just don't need it. Right. Like we know that you have been what's that scripture say you've brought nothing in, you'll take nothing out. Yeah. If we've really understood that he is the fullness of our joy, I don't know if we necessarily have to ask that question, would be my thought. It's an uncomfortable answer, but that that's my initial reaction. I was gonna say generosity, but that that's a good answer too. Well, I mean, I mean, yes, yes, of course. But that but generosity is a flow of the status of that, right? If I believe God is the fullness, it's an overflow of the heart. It will be an overflow. So yes, that I no, I'm I I see what you're saying. Okay, no, no, I agree with you. Yes, generosity is always the response to that because I mean here's the deal. We say we love God, he says, well, then love others, right? That's how we prove it. We've talked about it. So, yes, a generous heart really is going to show that you're finding your fullness in him.

SPEAKER_01 36:23

Yeah. Because you can't be materialistic and radically generous at the same time, it just doesn't work.

SPEAKER_00 36:28

It doesn't work, it's impossible. Can't be tight fisted. We all know this, you know? And and and again, we have to go back to Luke chapter 21, though. When you say, please don't use that as and the reason I even kind of mentioned the heart about Jesus being the fullness is it's easy to be like, well, I give X amount of I give uh hundreds of thousands of dollars away. Like, bro, you're making five million a year, nobody's impressed. The reason that Luke chapter 21 is important, not that there's a certain dollar amount, but there's this sense of like, are you giving out of your abundance? It's not a monetary issue. It's like I am full in Christ, and I want to just give without sparing. So I encourage you if you're listening to this, don't be like, well, I give more than my brother. And you're like, Yeah, but you make three times than your brother. Like, this is not a comparison game. This is not, don't look at someone else. This is the evaluation of your own heart. Right. Great question, though. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:24

So what's what's some way that somebody could audit themselves to identify areas where they could be more generous? Because you said like earlier, like you can't identify areas of greed in your own heart. Yeah. So for those people that are like, I'm generous, I give, I do all this stuff. Like, what's an audit that somebody could have to be able to recognize areas that they are struggling with?

SPEAKER_00 37:43

It's a great question. Um, I think this could just be me because the way my brain processes. When I hear something like this, I immediately know. Like I'm like, I know. It doesn't have to necessarily be this thing, like if you're listening to it, like I can't, I have no idea what your finances are. I don't know what you're spending your money. But there's something in the back of your mind that goes, ugh. And if that ugh hits you, that means you've allowed something. Like immediately, if there's anything in your heart that just goes, ugh, and I do that. Like when a preacher's preaching and I'm just and there's a convicting, now I want to open that can of worms. And so now that you've had that, that's audit one, there's already a problem. Um, two, you can just even see, like, as a great example, and just this is this is something that I do even with the kids. When we were talking about, we were talking about reading scripture the other day. I'm like, you have no problem watching for an hour of television. But the 20 minutes of Bible reading seems to be a real big problem, which we all have. There's an audit right there. So if you're looking at your money, and again, I can't do this math for you, but if you see the amount that of time and resources you're spending on yourself and the lack of generosity that's happening on this hand, and you've got that ugh in you, then something needs to fix. Like, I can't practically wrap up, be like, hey, cut out whatever this is. I don't know. Everybody's different.

SPEAKER_02 39:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:02

But but auditing, if the your hurt with ugh, you have a problem. And then two, go and evaluate just how much you're actually doing and see what you can change, and then stretch yourself. Like just be like, I'm not gonna do that this week. Yeah, like I'm I'm gonna completely change some of this. You just like like if guys, if you hear me like, you will die. Life is a vapor. Why would you not live for the kingdom?

SPEAKER_01 39:27

What's that what's that verse where it's talking about you maybe you haven't received more because you're gonna spend it more on your own pleasures or desires? There's a verse that's about that. But we're regardless, it's no, let's find it. Yeah, George Mueller talks about that too. It's like maybe maybe you're struggling and you're stuck in this same place of I mean, you feel like you're on a hamster wheel financially or um with your time throughout the week, whatever it is, and maybe it's because God has not uh given you more or opened up your capacity.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

It's James, which by the way, I mean, Google an AI, let's just be real. So so convenient. Read it for us. James 4 3. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your own passions. And it's true. Just so just so you know, though, if you like you're a Christian and you're super successful, it's not because your heart's necessarily right. But sometimes God is not giving giving stuff to you because you're just gonna spend it on yourself. That's a yeah, it's true. Yeah, it's convicting. I hope I'm really hoping that I would love to see so much perform in in our in our my life and in the Christian church to do this. I think this is one of the biggest hindrances on why we're not walking in the fullness of God is our materialism. Can we keep going? I've just got one more. Yeah, dude, this could be a longer episode. That's look, we're not I'm not yes, let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 40:59

Why do you think that people struggle with generosity? Because I feel like as a believer, the context that everybody has, it's you go to church on Sunday, you're supposed to tie it to the church. Right, and um, like that's your that's your thing.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

Do you see any problems with that? And I say that because I personally feel a disconnect with like feeling like I don't have I'm a business guy. Yeah. I look at numbers, I want a return on investment. I want to feel like there's a tangible return on impact in the kingdom or whatever it is. And some of that too is just you give and you the Lord does the rest. Yes. Why do you feel like there's that disconnect for a lot of people in like having joy behind giving?

SPEAKER_00 41:48

I think it's because um it's funny. I that's a phenomenal question, and it's it's a hard one to answer, especially in I think it goes back to our culture a little bit because like we look at the homeless guy and we're like, well, I want to give him money, he literally can go get a job. Yeah, this isn't like the beggars in Jesus' time, right? He looks healthy, he can go get a job. He exactly, he actually has a car. Like, I mean like what is happening? So I understand that, or you look at your church and you're like, okay, they're funding stuff that I just don't care about. Like, does our church need another fog machine? I don't think so. Like, and it's easy to make these judgments. The first thing, and I've told this to my kids multiple times you should always be a good steward of whatever God has given you. Always. But here comes the butt with that. You're also not the one that gets to judge every single dollar and its allocation. Because generosity, when he calls us to live generously and he gives without sparingly, the interesting part about that verse, yes, we're to be a good steward, but we don't get the freedom to just be like, Well, I think you're gonna use your funds wrong, so I'm gonna use them for myself. Generosity is an obedience, even in light of it not being used properly. Like, like, think about this. Jesus looked at the widow's might and said, Look at the way she's given to God, who's giving it to the Pharisees who are using it for themselves. Like who have were like scripture says they were lovers of money. Yeah, yeah. She's giving her very her her actual substance, and Jesus didn't go, What a bad steward. She should know these guys are frauds. No, he appreciated the generosity in her own heart. So if you're listening to this and you're a business guy, first, if you're behind your mission, is is why, what, and when. Sorry, do a little research on where you can be giving. Like, don't just expect other people to do this or or like, well, I think everybody's a fraud, so I'm not. You don't give that freedom, then do your research. Um, second is that like when you evaluate where you're giving, obviously be wise and and and and discerning, but remember that your generosity, like that organization ultimately doesn't need your money. It all comes from God. God wants to see the status of your heart. So, so if it's your church and you're like, okay, I wouldn't fund some of these things. And I'm with you, by the way. Like, like I would run this so differently. I still don't get the freedom to not pour into my local body, right? Doesn't mean I can't push back or try to hold some things accountable. We should. Doing that in a local body, but that doesn't give me the freedom to be tight-fisted. Um, I had a friend, they were missionaries, and I know this is a longer episode, but I hope I'm hoping this is for somebody that's opening up some stuff. Very wealthy family. He he was one of the top doctors in the region. Anyway, God called them to um like like when I say like like like loaded, like early 2000s, loaded and 1990s loaded, like like that's a different loaded at this point. It's like everybody's millionaires now at this point with real estate. But but this is a totally different loaded, and uh they went more missionaries in China and they took that proverbs verse and he said to prepare our hearts there, anybody that asked us for money, we gave. He said, to to uh generate generosity in our hearts. He's like, homeless man, even if I know he's gonna use it on drugs, I give him cash. He's like, I hated it. He said, but I wanted to just give without sparingly. He said, I understand the steward passages. He goes, but I just wanted to cultivate in my heart generosity. And he's like, if someone asked us for money that was a family member and we just gave, hey, this isn't alone that you'd have it. Like, what a unique test that we've given ourselves. Just remember this. This is not, it's super easy to try to count your impact or count your dollars. This is not the goal. God doesn't need your cash, your church doesn't need your cash. George Mueller proved that nobody needs your funds, he needs your heart. And the heart is to live in the fullness of God's joy and to realize we're to be generous because it's his anyway. That's a hard place to be, dude. Yeah, super uncomfortable. Super uncomfortable. I want to I want a running car all the time.

SPEAKER_01 46:08

I get it. I get it. Yeah. Awesome. Well, this is good. I know this went a little bit longer than normal, but um, yeah, if you guys were blessed by this or you know somebody who you think struggles with, send it to Turin's rich friend you have.

SPEAKER_00 46:24

Nobody's ever sharing an episode. We say that every time. Nobody's listening to this and sharing it ever. Oh, so funny. That'd be a little awkward. Tag them on an Instagram post. Yeah. Hey, I think you'd be blessed by this.

SPEAKER_01 46:37

Um email us at infotmondaymorningmen.com. Let us know uh prayer requests, topics that you want to have us disc uh talk about. And uh we'll see you uh see you next week.