Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with a familiar picture: two men building two houses. One builds on rock. The other builds on sand. When the storms come, only one house remains standing.
The difference isn’t the weather. Both houses face the storm. The difference is the foundation.
That picture from Matthew 7 offers a helpful way to think about our financial lives. Job losses, medical expenses, market declines, and unexpected bills eventually test every household. The question is whether our financial lives are built on something strong enough to withstand them.
John Cortines, a Family Office Advisor with Blue Trust and co-author of God and Money and True Riches, offers a helpful framework: Think of your financial life as a house. Christ is the foundation. Gratitude, contentment, trust, and love form the walls. Our identity as stewards serves as the roof. And wise financial practices furnish the rooms.
The Foundation: Christ, Not Money
Every house begins with a foundation, and the Christian financial life begins with Christ.
Jesus taught that we cannot serve both God and money. So before we ask how much to save, spend, invest, or give, we have to settle a more fundamental question: What—or whom—are we trusting?
1 Timothy 6 warns against placing our hope in wealth. Money is useful, but it was never designed to carry the weight of our security or identity.
Instead, biblical stewardship begins by recognizing that everything ultimately belongs to God. Haggai 2:8 reminds us that the silver and gold are His. What we possess has been entrusted to us temporarily.
That changes the way we approach money. Rather than asking, “What do I want to do with my money?” a steward begins asking, “What is the next faithful decision with what God has entrusted to me?”
Money moves from being our master to becoming a tool we manage for God’s purposes.
The First Wall: Gratitude
Once the foundation is in place, the first wall is gratitude. Gratitude protects us from one of wealth’s most subtle dangers: pride.
Pride says, I earned this. I deserve this. Look at what I’ve accomplished. Gratitude answers, God provided this.
Deuteronomy 8:18 warns God’s people not to forget that He is the One who gives them the ability to produce wealth. Our abilities, opportunities, relationships, education, health, and circumstances are all gifts we did not create for ourselves.
That doesn’t diminish the value of hard work. It simply puts our work in its proper place.
A grateful steward can work diligently without believing everything depends on personal achievement. Gratitude opens our hands because it reminds us that every good thing ultimately comes from God.
The Second Wall: Contentment
The second wall is contentment, which guards us from coveting and comparison.
Our culture constantly invites us to look sideways. Someone always seems to have a nicer home, a newer vehicle, a larger portfolio, or a more comfortable lifestyle.
