"Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours." - 1 Chronicles 29:11
If God owns it all, what does that mean for the way we manage money? Brian Holtz is here to unpack the Five Pillars of Financial Discipleship—principles that, when embraced by families, bring freedom and joy to their finances.
Brian Holtz is the CEO of Compass Financial Ministry and the author of Financial Discipleship for Families: Intentionally Raising Faithful Children.
More Than Money Management
When it comes to managing money as followers of Christ, the Bible calls us to more than financial freedom or peace of mind. It calls us to financial discipleship—a life of stewardship, surrender, and multiplication for God’s Kingdom. Here are five key pillars that shape this journey.
Pillar One: Ownership
Everything begins with recognizing who truly owns it all. Scripture reminds us in Psalm 24:1, Haggai 2:8, and 1 Chronicles 29:11 that God is the Creator and ultimate Owner of everything. Our role is not ownership but stewardship. This mindset shift—from “mine” to “His”—brings both relief and challenge. It’s freeing to know the responsibility doesn’t all rest on us, but humbling to realize our lives and resources are not ultimately ours to control.
Pillar Two: Surrender
Acknowledging God’s ownership requires surrender. Luke 14:33 makes this clear: discipleship means yielding everything back to God, not just intellectually but in our hearts. This surrender extends beyond giving—it includes how we spend, save, and plan. Trusting God’s plan over our own is an act of daily obedience.
Pillar Three: Choice
In Matthew 6:24, Jesus tells us we cannot serve both God and money. Every financial decision—whether saving, giving, or spending—reveals who we serve. Choosing God requires aligning daily habits with His Word, even when it feels counterintuitive. As Isaiah reminds us, God’s ways are higher and better than ours.
Pillar Four: Multiplication
Discipleship is never meant to stop with us. In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus calls us to multiply what He has entrusted to us. This means sharing what we’ve learned and inviting others into the journey. Financial discipleship involves helping others apply biblical wisdom so that God’s Kingdom continues to grow.
Pillar Five: Eternal Focus
Finally, discipleship means setting our eyes on eternity. Jesus said in Matthew 6:19–21 to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth. But these treasures aren’t material—they’re about our relationship with Christ. Living with an eternal focus keeps us from being distracted by temporary wealth and anchors our hope in Him alone.
How Financial Discipleship Differs
It’s easy to confuse financial discipleship with financial stewardship or freedom. Stewardship may stop at wise resource management, but discipleship goes further—it’s about helping others learn, apply, and multiply biblical truth for God’s glory. True discipleship always leads to transformation, both personally and in community.
Compass Financial Ministry exists to equip believers to live this way. Through resources, training, and community, they help people break free from the love of money and serve God more fully. Financial discipleship is really about helping others learn, apply, and multiply everything for God’s glory, rather than for our own.
To learn more, visit CompassFinancialMinistry.org.
On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:
- I’m about to receive money from a relative’s trust and want to place it in a high-yield money market account. How can I find a reputable option, especially since I don’t recognize many of the online banks?
- I’m 47 and just starting my career after years as a stay-at-home mom. My employer offers a 403(b), but the 3% match doesn’t kick in until after a year. Should I start contributing now or wait? I’m also still working on paying off debt.
- I’m newly married, expecting our first child, and we’re in the process of house hunting. Should we go through a mortgage broker or a bank for our loan? And can you share advice on budgeting as we start our family?
- I have a Roth portion in my 401(k). When I retire in a few months, can I withdraw that money tax-free?
- I just sold an RV for $40,000 that I bought five years ago for $30,000. The title agency issued me a 1099—what does that mean for my taxes?
Resources Mentioned:
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.