Money is sometimes seen as a taboo or touchy subject, but it affects nearly every aspect of our lives. It can open new opportunities or allow us to pass on blessings to our children and others. It can also bring out struggles faster than almost anything else. Investment Advisor and ministry worker Jim Palumbo joins us this week to discuss money and the spiritual impact it can have.

Is having a lot of money and wealth the proper measure of success in life?

Jim Palumbo answers, “If you're thinking about money, thinking about success, seeking happiness in life, people often correlate it to materialism. If it's not money, it's the things that money can buy, the material goods and possessions or even experiences now are even more important. People say, well forget about things, you have to have grand vacations and experiences; but in reality, those are not the things that we live for. The things that money can buy; they don't satisfy ultimately even if you get to possess them for a time in this life. The satisfaction is fleeting. It's gone very soon.

“We live for the things that matter the most. That begins with God, family, and others. The foundation of that is Jesus Christ. That is the foundation upon which we build everything. It's our relationship with God, being right with God, understanding that that is our purpose in life: to love God and enjoy him forever.”

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. – Matthew 7:24–25

My relationship with God is good, so why are my finances a mess?

“Sometimes those situations that are not good are revealing something more on the inside, something needs to happen because those things are wrong, and God allows it. God's a loving Father. He allows those difficult circumstances that people might find themselves in financially, family, stress, and anxieties. He's using those as tools to get you where he wants you to be as a person and your relationship with him,” says Jim Palumbo.

How are my Christian faith and my finances connected?

“There are over 2,000 verses in the Bible about money and stewardship. There are twice as many as faith. Further, if you look at the parables, Jesus’ two longest parables are about stewardship, about money, the parable of the talents and also the parable of the unjust steward. These lessons were really important to Jesus. He wanted to teach us about these things.

“What you're hinting at, Bob, is they're not disconnected at all. They're woven together into a single fabric. The life that we live, our faith toward God is expressed in how we handle the things to which he's entrusted us,” responded Jim Palumbo.

Is the parable of the talents really about money?

Jim Palumbo answered, “The parable of the talents is one of my favorites because he is talking about money. But he's talking about everything that goes with it. He's talking about the servant, he gave the money to and then he went away and so occupy till I come. We know this is a metaphor parable about the coming of the Son of God to who? To Israel. That Israel were the people and they were anticipating the Messiah. The Messiah came back and they had not done a good job while he was gone. We get that part of the metaphor.

“At the same time, if you think about money as fiat currency, money represents materialism. It represents almost everything in this world because it's something you trade for goods. You take some food, and you get food by trading money, and the person takes that money and buys a house. It has to do with goods. That goes back to the law of God. What is the commandment that addresses these things? Thou shalt not covet.

“What is at the root of problems with money, if you want to say the sin part of it? It's covetousness. The verse that is oft-quoted in the parable of talents is, “Occupy till I come.” I believe it's this: I believe it's not just spiritual. It's about everything. Occupy this life, the money, the house, the family. You're a member of this church? Be a good church member. Don't go there to get. It's not a movie theater. Go there to give. Go occupy your role as a member in the church, the wife to your husband, the mom, to your kids, the father to your kids, occupy it. Occupy it like crazy. Do it awesome. Guess what? Jesus comes back and says well done.”

And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. – Luke 19:13

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

About Gary Wilkerson

Gary Wilkerson is the President of World Challenge, an international mission organization that was founded by his father, David Wilkerson. He is also the Founding Pastor of The Springs Church, which he launched in 2009 with a handful of people. He has traveled nationally and internationally at conferences and conducted mission ventures such as church planting, starting orphanages, clinics, feeding programs among the poorest of the poor and the most unreached people of the earth. Gary and his wife Kelly have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO.

About Jim Palumbo

Jim Palumbo is Principal & Chief Development Officer at Dynamic Wealth Advisors. He is a veteran of the financial services industry with over 25 years of creating and managing organizations that create, grow, and preserve wealth