Financial Discipleship - the Bible on ChoiceSample

One of the key benefits as we model godly financial principles to our children is that we take seriously Jesus’ instruction to put what we’ve learned into practice. Skye Jethani, in his challenging but true book, What if Jesus Was Serious, correctly points out a common misapplication of the parable of the wise and foolish builders found in Matthew 7:24-27.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Many Christians, he points out, believe this parable means that the wise builder who built his house on the rock is the one who believes in Jesus, and the foolish builder who built his house on the sand is the nonbeliever. If we read this parable with fresh eyes, however, we clearly see that it isn’t belief in Jesus that makes a builder wise or foolish, it’s obedience to Jesus that does. If we as parents believe it is wise for our children to apply biblical financial principles in their lives but don’t apply them in our lives, which builder do you suppose we are?

If we are to be “wise builders,” we must obey Jesus’ instructions for our lives, including with money and possessions.

(excerpt taken from Financial Discipleship for Families: Intentionally Raising Faithful Children, Brian C. Holtz, 2023)