The Money Minister

Money, Evil, Love, and Jesus

• Catherine Van Der Laan • Season 4 • Episode 10

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Welcome back to the Money Minister, the podcast where we deal with Christian questions about money and following Jesus, relying on the Bible and the Holy Spirit for insight into our lives. 

Today, we’re talking about an intense topic that I work through with people pretty often. When I’m working with Christians, whether they make $2000 per month or $40,000 per month or somewhere in between, we end up talking about the guilt they’re feeling making money and prioritizing their financial health. 

Some people tell me that money is the root of all evil. Have you heard that one? 

Other people tell me that they can’t walk around their city without feeling this weight of guilt washing over them when they see others who are not as fortunate. 

Guilt is a heavy emotion. When we start to do better for ourselves, it can feel really good at times, and it can also feel like we’re doing something wrong. I know I felt shame at first when I started making in the top 5% of incomes in the United States. 

It’s hard to be in this world, seeing all the terrible things that happen and realizing that people want what you have. 

Most people, when they feel the guilt that comes with making more money, they do one of a few things:

  1. They either hide and stay to themselves, avoiding guilt by not going out into the world anymore.
  2. Or they go out and pretend like they don’t have money, leading to a little more guilt because they feel like they’re deceiving the people around them
  3. Or they start giving a LOT of money away, much more than their tithe and usually creating a dependency problem with their friends or family. 

If you’ve felt this guilt, what was your first reaction?

This episode works through how to view money as God's blessing, steward God's wealth well, and dedicate our whole hearts and lives to Jesus without denying God's blessings in our lives.



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Speaker 1:

So if you're feeling guilt about having more money than you used to ask God what to do with it. Get on your knees and pray Actually, I have a prayer seat because my knees don't work well. Listen for God's voice. He cares about your heart, and if your heart isn't feeling aligned, then ask God to cleanse your heart, redirect your steps and follow him. In the Christian circles, we call that repentance. Don't hide from God. He will always find you. Don't hide from people, because they're God's mission field. He wants you out there. Don't lie about money. God reveals the truth and don't give it all away unless you know for a fact that God's calling you to.

Speaker 1:

This is the Money Minister podcast. I bet you thought I'd be a man. My name is Katherine Vanderlaan and I'm a financial coach and minister in training. I firmly believe that Christians shouldn't have money worries. This podcast is about keeping money in its place as a tool and not allowing it to rule your life. Welcome back to the Money Minister.

Speaker 1:

This is the podcast where we deal with Christian questions about money and following Jesus, relying on the Bible and the Holy Spirit for insight into our lives. Today we're talking about an intense topic. It's one that I work through every day, practically so, with well with people. Pretty often, when I'm working with Christians, whether they make $2,000 a month or $40,000 a month which has definitely happened or somewhere in between we end up talking about guilt. We talk about the guilt that they're feeling making money and prioritizing financial health. This is a real guilt that people feel. It's something I have felt before. This is like a super important. I don't even want to call it super important, it is important. It's something that I feel like Christianity at least in the United States, maybe around the world I do work with people around the world has bred within their congregations. Is this guilt about making a lot of money or having money? This guilt about creating wealth? Lot of money or having money? This guilt about creating wealth? Some people, when we start talking about this, tell me that money is the root of all evil. Have you heard that one? Other people tell me that they can't walk around their city without feeling this weight of guilt washing over them when they see others who are not as fortunate as they are.

Speaker 1:

Guilt, guilt and shame, but specifically guilt is a heavy emotion. When we start to do better for ourselves, it can feel really good at the time I really feel good and we can feel blessed we can, you know hashtag blessed right. It can also feel like we're doing something wrong, that we shouldn't have money. I know I felt shame at first when I started making in the top 5% of incomes in the United States. At first I thought, oh wow, god has blessed me, he's providing, god is giving me something that I can use to better society, to better my family, to take care of my family. But at the same time I went but why is he giving it to me and not other people? How do I use this wealth? Am I using it properly? Am I giving glory to God? Am I doing what I need to do in order to use my talents well? It's hard being in this world, seeing all the terrible things that happen in the world and realizing that people want what you have and a lot of people need what you have. I don't want you to come to out of this podcast episode feeling like I'm saying it's okay to treat yourself while people are dying around the world. That's not the takeaway here. We'll get to the takeaway in a moment, but I promise you that's not it.

Speaker 1:

Most people when they feel the guilt that comes with making more money, they do one of a few things they either hide and stay to themselves, avoiding their guilt by not going out into the world anymore. They kind of become these, these hermits and these misers right. Or they go out and they pretend like they don't have money, leading to actually a little bit more guilt because they feel like they're deceiving the people around them because they are. Or they start giving a lot of money away, much more than their tithe, and usually creating a dependency problem with their friends or family. If you have felt this guilt after making more money as a Christian, what was your first reaction? I'm going to tell you a couple of stories, but one of them I'm going to tell you about myself. So my first reaction was actually number two to go out and pretend like I didn't have any money, leading actually to a little bit more guilt. That's the reaction that I got from my family. That's the reaction that it was actually kind of opposite for my, the family I grew up in, and so it was my reaction. My husband's reaction is to hide and and stay to himself and then also to pretend like he doesn't have money. So he kind of does both of those. And then I swung the opposite direction and started giving away a lot of money more than more than the tithe, more than than I I had actually to give. And so I've kind of been through a lot of this, these reactions, myself, and I've seen a lot of my clients go through these reactions too.

Speaker 1:

So let me tell you a story about a client that I worked with. I worked with a young Christian woman for a combination of financial and career coaching. We're doing a little bit of both. She was in a job that was definitely certainly underpaid. Okay, she had some debt to pay off. She wanted to learn how to budget her minimum payments. Well, let's just say I don't. She was paying a little bit more than her minimum payments, but all of her debt payments combined not including a mortgage, she didn't have a house were about $2,400, $2,500 a month. I mean that included a car, that included, like a lot of things, credit card, student loans, like a lot of things.

Speaker 1:

She came to me because she wanted to learn how to budget and she also needed a new job. So she came to me first because she wanted to learn how to budget and she maybe she listened to the money minister this podcast. Maybe she found me online I don't actually remember how she found me, but I could look that up but she did. So she came to me to learn how to budget and I let her know that. Hey, I've been in the corporate world for a long time. I was in business strategy and product management for 12 years. I had a team of 68 people. I can help you get a new job. As we were going through this, she was like, yeah, I do need a new job, let's do it. So we did the usual stuff I helped her with her resume uh, getting in front of the hiring manager, did some interview coaching and then helped her negotiate her new job salary. Okay, she got an amazing new job.

Speaker 1:

Now, this is like a few months down the line right, it's not like a magical thing that happens all at once, but she learned a budget. She got that new job and she paid off all of her student loans and her credit card within six months before she got the new job. So this is like a multi-month process. Okay, so she had that new job, she had paid off her student loans. She well her credit card first, and then some students. She didn't have that many student loans anymore and she had a car loan still that she was working on.

Speaker 1:

So once she had that new job and had paid off her car loan, she was looking at about four to $5,000 a month I think it was closer to five of freed up money every single month after tax, after after contributing to retirement up to her match. I mean it was really great. She didn't have any debt to pay off anymore, which that was like the 2,500 that I was telling you about. She got that new job which gave her an extra after-tax, after-retirement, $2,400 in her pocket every month and she was super happy. She was like I didn't think that I'd be able to turn my life around like this. This is great.

Speaker 1:

And then I saw her face drop because we were on zoom. I saw her face drop and she was like Catherine, I'm feeling so guilty. And she asked me why do I deserve this? Why do I get to have this money when so many people in the United States and around the world don't? Do you hear that guilt? I did. I mean that's, that's a question a lot of people ask. Okay, that's, a lot of people ask that. Why do I get to have this when so many people don't, and we need to grapple with that tension. Right.

Speaker 1:

When God blesses us, he's blessing us. He's allowing us to do something with it. When God is blessing us, we need to sit and realize he chose us to do something with this blessing, and it's not that he didn't choose other people. Here's the thing. It's not that he didn't choose other people, he did. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He can bless whoever he wants. He could bless everybody in the world, and he does bless everybody in the world with common grace. But that's not what this podcast episode is about.

Speaker 1:

And in Jesus's ministry here on earth. Let's put this into context. He was the poorest of the poor. He wore clothing with no seams, so that is regarded as as basically clothes from like the 50 cent bin at the thrift store. Okay, those are like the poorest of the poor clothes. His parents sacrificed doves to redeem their firstborn Jesus when he was born, which tells us that they were dirt poor as well. Not only were they dirt poor, but they were super rejected because Jesus was considered a child born out of wedlock okay, or a child born out of some disgrace. So Jesus came in disgraced, he came in poor and it didn't get much better for him. He didn't have that much wealth here on earth Jesus really didn't. He was provided for out of the means of a lot of people, but primarily a lot of the women in his ministries. So, like Herod's household manager, his wife was following Jesus and provided for his ministry and his life Anyway. So he was very, very poor. He didn't have a bunch of money to provide for himself, and that bothers us as Christians sometimes.

Speaker 1:

If we're meant to be like Jesus, does that mean that we have to be poor? And then we hear stories about how he told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give it to the poor and then come follow Jesus. Does he want us to do that as well? Is that what we're meant to do? And then we hear in Acts about how Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead when they lied about giving all the proceeds from the sale of their property to the Christian community. Does Jesus want us to give him all of our money? And we hear people say that money is the root of all evil, and see Paul's life in prison when he talks about not having enough to eat. What do we do with all of that. What we can't do is throw all of that out, but what we can do is find out the context and figure out what God means in each situation.

Speaker 1:

So Jesus, jesus was the poorest of the poor, so he would be accessible to everyone, so everyone on earth would give God the glory and not think it was human power that did anything Jesus did. Human power that did anything Jesus did. God came to earth, poor, so that he would be accessible to everyone. Okay, it doesn't mean that he's calling you to be poor. Why would God bless you and then also call you to be poor? We'll talk about that in a moment. It's possible, but we'll talk about that in a moment when Jesus let's talk about the rich young ruler, because this one gets taken out of context a lot Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give it to the poor. Then come, follow Jesus. Because that young man's heart was with his wealth. Okay, he couldn't love Jesus until he gave away his wealth and power. He loved the world, his power, his status and his wealth too much to follow Jesus with his whole heart. That's why God said go sell everything you have, give it to the poor and then come follow me, because he couldn't follow God. He couldn't follow Jesus until he gave away the source of his pride.

Speaker 1:

Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit. Peter tells them that they could have kept some of the money from the sale of their land. It was theirs. They could do anything they wanted with it. It was theirs. But the problem was that they loved their reputation and what they could gain from lying more than they loved God. It had nothing to do with the money and whether they could keep it. It had everything to do with their intentions. Okay, god didn't want people to think that they could lie to him. God didn't want people to think that this was some power game. It wasn't really about money at all. It was about their hearts. Do you see a trend here? Do you see? Jesus came to earth poor because he wanted all of our hearts. He told the rich young ruler to go sell everything he had and give it to the poor because he wanted his whole heart. And he killed Ananias and Sapphira because of their lie, because they co-conspirate. They conspired to lie together because their hearts were corrupted and they were trying to show people that they gave God their whole hearts when they hadn't. Okay, they were lying to the community and they were lying to God, and the verse that talks about money and evil actually says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Again, it's about our hearts. This is about our hearts.

Speaker 1:

So, getting back to the story, this young Christian woman and I ended up talking a few times about her heart and how much she loved money. Okay, she was super honest with me. I'm not going to tell you who she is. I don't talk about my clients like that. I give no names and if she's listening here she can out herself if she wants to. But I don't know anybody who would. And I mean a lot of us struggle with the love of money, especially when we have it. I mean, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. But with God, anything is possible. Okay, remember Jesus added that. Jesus said the first one, then he said the second one. With God, anything is possible. So this woman, she was honest with me and she told me that it felt really good to be blessed with a higher salary and extra money, and she was having trouble seeing herself as someone God would bless with it. She had trouble feeling allowed to enjoy even a little bit of that money.

Speaker 1:

And if you're here as a Christian, you're listening to this, you're watching this on YouTube or what have you, and you're struggling with enjoying any of the blessings that God has given you, you're struggling with knowing what to do with the wealth, with the opportunity that God has given you, then please listen up, because I have a few verses for you. I have a few things that Jesus said that I think you should listen to. Matthew 7, verse 9 says actually, let's go to Matthew 7, verse 7. I'm going to read you a little bit here Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be open to you, for everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds To him who knocks, it will be opened.

Speaker 1:

A lot of people stop there, let's keep going. Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone. Or if he asks for a for bread, will give him a stone. Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? Basically, who, like if your child asks you for food, who will give him, like something he can't eat or something that's going to hurt him? Nobody. If, then, if you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father, who is in heaven, give good things to those who ask him? Therefore, whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them, for this is the law and the prophets.

Speaker 1:

Okay, all right, so let's dissect that a little bit. God wants to give you good things. He absolutely does. So ask, ask him for good things, and he will give them to you. So if you're listening to this and you're like, well, god hasn't blessed me, ask him. Ask him and ask him to bless you and turn your heart so that your desires are the desires of God, so that you have given your whole heart to God. Because if you ask him, god might just say sell everything you have and give it to the poor and then come, follow me. But if you're following God with your whole heart, ask him, and your desires should probably be, and will be, aligned to the desires of God, so he'll give you what you desire, because God, god wants what you desire too. He wants you to have it. It's a weird circular logic thing, but I promise you it does work. So whichever way you can get into that circle, get into the circle. All right, here's the next one John 10, verses six through 10. So this is in the message version, just because this is a pretty good summary.

Speaker 1:

Jesus told this simple story but they had no idea what he was talking about, so we tried again. I will be explicit. Then Jesus said I am the gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good Sheep wrestlers every one of them but the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for, will freely go in and out and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. And in some different versions it says I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. That was the NASB. I like the NASB. So this is.

Speaker 1:

This is the parable of the sheep and the shepherd. When Jesus says I am the good shepherd, anyone who goes to the father goes through me. Right, who comes to the father goes through me. This is about your heart again. This is about your heart going to jesus, going through jesus, giving your whole heart to god. And jesus says look, I came so that you would have life and and you could have it abundantly. So go talk to jesus. Talk to jesus and you know what. Rest, because God has given you a gift, especially if you have the ability to make a lot of money. He's given you a gift to be able to rest, find Jesus, find God's love abundantly, which you can do if you're not making a lot of money. Everyone can do this in the whole world and with God, all things are possible and to be able to give and to help others and also enjoy some of it. So I'm going to go through another verse here, before you all call me a hypocrite or before you all call me a false prophet, somebody who's leading people astray, because, remember, I'm not telling you God's given you a blessing and go blow it all and spend it all on stuff you enjoy. That is not what I am saying. So we're going to get to some practical application here in a moment.

Speaker 1:

But I also want to remind you of Matthew, chapter 11, verses 28 and 30. Feel free to look it up. So Matthew, chapter 11, which I need to get into. And there it is, matthew, chapter 11, verses 28 and 30. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So remember, god is here going, my burden is light, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So remember, god is here going. My burden is light, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. I will give you rest for your souls. This is all about your soul, your heart, your spirit, all of that. God is giving you rest because your whole heart is hidden away in him, in your love for God, in your following Jesus. And if you are having a real relationship with Jesus, you're hearing his voice, not just in your head. We're not talking about like schizophrenia or anything. We're talking about you knowing God, hearing his voice, being able to know and differentiate between God's voice and your wants, able to know and differentiate between God's voice and your wants. Then you will be able to rest at night and have no anxiety about how you use your money, because you will be walking in God's God's good and perfect will. Okay, all right, let's make this super practical here. So let's get back to my story.

Speaker 1:

So this woman, young woman, she came to the conclusion that she would continue to tithe, which is a 10% gift to the church. So 10% of what she earned and we can talk about pre-tax, post-tax. Go ahead and schedule a session with me, let's chat. She continued to pray daily and she asked God what to do with her new freed up money. Over time she created a few things. She created a spontaneous giving fund, gave to a benevolence fund to help people in her community through the church, because they had a really great assessment program, like they could figure out what people really needed and also make sure that people weren't over asking you know what I mean, like asking people for things that they could do themselves. And she increased her tithe as her income increased. So we worked through a bunch of financial goals then. So we worked through her saving her full emergency fund and then investing so that she could afford her needs and wants after she stopped working, and many people are blessed because she's following God and stewarding God's wealth.

Speaker 1:

Well, I mean, think about Abraham, abraham, isaac and Jacob. Right, abraham was a man of great material wealth, so much so that some people wanted to kick him out of different places because he had so many cattle and sheep. And, like so many people, so many servants, they were like you are. You are a king among us, a prince among us, and we can't have you here because you're taking up too much space, so go find somewhere else to go. That was Abraham. He isn't in the hall of faith. He is one of the fathers of the generation of Israel. I mean, he's known as an amazing follower of God and God blessed him with that material wealth.

Speaker 1:

So please don't feel guilty. And that doesn't always stop the feelings of guilt. I can't just tell you not to feel guilty and you don't feel guilty. We talk through it every once in a while. I talked through it with that young woman, but please be sure that she's following God because she knows his voice and her heart is with Jesus. So if you're feeling guilt about having more money than you used, to ask God what to do with it, get on your knees and pray. Actually, I have a prayer seat because my knees don't work well. Listen for God's voice. He cares about your heart, and if your heart isn't feeling aligned, then ask God to cleanse your heart, redirect your steps and follow him.

Speaker 1:

In the Christian circles, we call that repentance. Don't hide from God. He will always find you. Don't hide from people, because they're God's mission field. He wants you out there. Don't lie about money. God reveals the truth and don't give it all away unless you know for a fact that God's calling you to.

Speaker 1:

That was a lot of don'ts. Here's what you do. Okay, ask God what to do and listen to him. Then do what God says. So if you're here and you're having trouble hearing God's voice, then click that link below to schedule a complimentary consultation with me.

Speaker 1:

I am a devoted follower of Jesus. I'm a minister's wife and a friend. Okay, I'm a sister in Christ. Let's talk and pray together. I'm happy to guide you to hearing God's voice more clearly and into doing what God wants you to do with your life. I will also tell you things like really straight up, and I will also tell you what to do, not to do, and if something else is working with somebody else, or doing something else is better than working directly with me. I'll make sure that you're going in the right direction, so go ahead and click that link down below. Let's schedule a time to talk you and me and get you the help that you need to go in the direction that God wants you to go.

Speaker 1:

All right, this has been the money minister. I will talk to you soon in the next episode. Bye, thank you for listening to this episode of the money minister podcast. I'm glad you're here. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate our podcast on iTunes or whatever you're using to listen. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, at saverstreet, and if you need help with your personal finances, feel free to book a complimentary consultation at saverstreetcom. We'll help you find what you need in your journey to financial independence. I'll see you in the next episode.