Over the many years of teaching and walking with people through financial decisions, I’ve seen something very clearly: money reveals our hearts.
Not because money is evil, but because it touches everything we value, desire, protect, and hope for.

Jesus wasn’t exaggerating when He said,

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

We cannot escape it: how we handle money shapes us. And so the call of a Christian is not simply to make money or manage money, but to bring money under the lordship of Christ. In other words, financial life is discipleship

This is why the conversation about giving, debt, investment, and poverty matters — not because of pesos or percentages, but because our financial decisions form our faith, our character, and our capacity to love.

When Giving Becomes Worship

Many ask, “Is tithing still required?” I understand where that comes from. We’ve seen giving be abused, manipulated, guilt-driven, or handled without transparency. But the biblical story of giving has always been about something deeper than obligation, it has always been about trust and worship.

Yes, the Old Testament instructed God’s people to give 10%.
But in the New Testament, the emphasis shifts from requirement to relationship… from “how much must I give?” to “how will I honor God with what He has given me?”

So tithing becomes a practice, a rhythm, of putting God first, not a tax we owe Him.

Offerings then become an expression of joy, gratitude, and generosity beyond the tithe, a quiet way of saying, “Lord, You have been good to me.”

The question isn’t whether we give from gross or net, or whether we’re “sinning” by not reaching 10%. The real question is this: Is God first in my heart, and does my giving reflect that?

For some, giving is delayed because of fear. For others, giving is avoided using the language of “wisdom,” when in truth, it is withheld because of tight fists and a guarded heart.

Giving is not about what leaves our bank account. It is about what rules our heart.

When Debt Becomes a Teacher

Debt is not automatically sinful. But Scripture warns us that debt has power: it can trap, burden, and enslave if we are not careful. Many debts begin not out of necessity, but impatience: “I want it now.”

There is a difference between:

• Borrowing to invest in something that grows your ability to steward (like education or a home), and
• Borrowing to maintain a lifestyle that your heart is unwilling to surrender.

One builds.
The other destroys quietly over time.

Even in ministry, we must be careful. A pastor borrowing money from a church member may seem harmless, but it blurs the sacred relational lines of trust and shepherding. Spiritual leadership is built on integrity, transparency, and peace, and debt can threaten all three.

The goal is not to avoid all debt, but to avoid the kind of debt that robs peace, strains relationships, and burdens the soul.

When Wealth Becomes a Tool for the Kingdom

Wealth is not the enemy: greed is.
The Bible does not condemn the ability to earn, build, or invest. In fact, Jesus praised wise stewardship and multiplication (Matthew 25:14–30).

But wealth must remain a tool, never a master.

When we evaluate investment opportunities, we shouldn’t only ask:

• “Is this profitable?”

We must also ask:

• “Does this honor God?”
• “Does this harm or exploit others?”
• “Does this pull me toward peace or toward anxiety?”

If we cannot pray over it with peace, it is not from God.

And what about seasons of financial difficulty?
Scripture is honest; following Jesus will not always be materially comfortable (Matthew 10). Sometimes God uses financial struggle to pull our roots out of self-sufficiency so He can replant them in trust, patience, and faith.

There are lessons learned in lack that abundance will never teach.

When the Church Becomes a Community of Restoration

The church is not called to simply hand out relief, we are called to form people.

We break the cycle of poverty not merely by giving, but by:

• Teaching biblical stewardship
• Helping people develop skills
• Connecting them to jobs, mentors, and opportunities
• Creating savings groups and accountability circles
• Supporting single parents, widows, and families in crisis
• Building a culture where we carry one another’s burdens

The early church didn’t just share money.
They shared life (Acts 4:32–35).

Poverty is not just economic.
It is emotional. Relational. Spiritual.
And the answer to poverty is not just resources: it is community, dignity, healing, and hope.

That is the work of the church.

The Heart of It All

At the end of the day, money always reveals the same question:

Who do I trust?

If we trust our own strength, we cling.
If we trust wealth, we chase endlessly.
If we trust God, we release and receive freely.

We give because He gave.
We steward because He entrusts.
We bless because we are blessed.
We open our hands because our Father opened His.

We do not give to get.
We give because God has already given us everything in Christ.

And that is where freedom begins.
Not in having more …
But in belonging to Jesus.