S3 Ep. 3: Kingdom Over Comfort — Stewarding Our Finances for Eternal Impact

Money can be a mirror for the heart. Allen & Stacy Jo share four anchors for Kingdom-focused finances: give first, break free from debt, choose contentment, and budget with Jesus at the center. Move beyond comfort to eternal impact with practical steps and biblical clarity.

What you’ll learn

• ✅ Why treasure directs the heart (and how to aim it at eternity)
• ✅ Generosity as worship, not compulsion—give first, not last
• ✅ Debt as a master and a plan for freedom
• ✅ Contentment over comparison—gratitude that quiets “more”
• ✅ Pray before you pay: Spirit-led budgeting that fuels mission

📖 Scriptures
Matthew 6:19–21; 2 Corinthians 9:6–7; Proverbs 22:7; Philippians 4:11–13; Matthew 11:28–30

✨ Takeaways

• God first & best → worshipful generosity.
• Debt reduction is spiritual warfare for freedom.
• Contentment is learned in Christ—He is enough.
• Budgets become discipleship tools when Jesus leads.
• Always: Kingdom > Comfort.

If this episode helped you

• 👉 Follow/Subscribe to Faithfully Invested
• ⭐ Leave a 5-star review so other faith-driven leaders can find the show
• 🔗 Share this episode with someone ready to steward money for eternal impact

Transcript

0:01

Are you ready to build a life, business and legacy that truly lasts? Welcome to Faithfully Invested with Allen and Stacy Jo Thorne where Faith meets real talk. Biblical wisdom meets everyday life and leadership meets laughter. Together we will uncover God's blueprint for leadership, marriage, and mission, helping faith-driven leaders invest in what matters most. Each episode, we explore biblical wisdom, have real conversations, and of course, have some fun along the way because let's be real. Walking in faith is an adventure. It sure is. So pull up a seat, grab your coffee or your sweet tea, and join us as we steward our callings with intention, because when we invest in his kingdom, he brings the increase. Hey friends. Welcome back to Faithfully Invested, where we discuss leadership, marriage, and mission, one Kingdom Principle at a time. I am Allen, and I am Stacy Jo, and we're glad you're here with us today. Today we're gonna dive into something that affects us all our finances. Mm, you know, dilute the beans, the moolah, chaga. Isn't our finances just good enough? Apparently not. Anyway, as as Christ followers, we see our finances differently than the world sees financial responsibility. Uh, we'll discuss it today, what it looks like through a kingdom advancing lens. Yeah. You know, money's one of those topics that can either make people lean in or maybe squirm a little. Depending on where you're at, but Right. Did you know though that there are about 2,350 biblical references to handling finances in the Bible? I did know that. Did you? I did know that. Did, did you know that 16 of Jesus's 38 parables discussed money handling? I did. I, uh, I was gonna say, Jesus spoke a lot on, on finances. He did. He did. Why? What? Because, because he knew. Where our treasure is, our hearts will follow. Absolutely. And so this isn't about just dollars and cents, it's actually about discipleship. Yeah. Mm-hmm. My goodness. The tension. Uh, and, and if you're, if you're squirming out there, right. Uh, listen up.'cause this is for you. This is, uh, this is especially for the squirms. Uh, and I, I used, we used to be squirms. I was especially, I still squirm, I sm sometimes, uh, because we all crave comfort. Yeah. Uh, that bigger savings account, a nicer house. Mm-hmm. That new car. Uh, or just a feeling of financial security. Mm-hmm. Uh, and I love these, these two words here. These are some of my favorite two words. But Jesus consistently calls us followers to a higher calling. He calls us to invest in his kingdom, not just, uh, insider comfort zones either. He calls us to, uh, give sacrificially. So our challenge may be. As we live in the world, but we're not of the world. We, we might be dealing with a skewed perspective that if, uh, if we see things, uh, through a, a, the God shaped kingdom investment lens, that we, we might, we might see things as a got to instead of a get to. Oh yeah. And that challenge is real. I mean, we face debt. We face the temptation to overspend and the constant pull of comparison, you know? Yeah. That keeping up with the Joneses as they used to say, you know, it's nonsense. What's that? It's nonsense. Well, we don't have any Joneses that live next to us, but Right. But culture says, you know, culture says buy now and pay later. Right. And Jesus says, trust me, give generously and store up treasures in heaven. Yes. And the question we have to wrestle with. Is, are we living for comfort or for kingdom impact? And can we have both? And I wanna say I, there's nothing wrong with things. There's nothing wrong with stuff. And there's nothing wrong with having money. No. We're not, we're not demon it. Same as before, uh, in a couple seasons ago, we weren't demonizing the hustle. Right. Uh, we're just saying that, and we're not demonizing wealth. We're not demonizing, uh, having stuff. Mm-hmm. Uh, we're simply saying is if the stuff is greater than Jesus, then that's an idol and that should be addressed. Yeah. So, so I recall. When I thought that financial stewardship was all about me being in control, I remember that too. I bet you do. I was budgeting so tight that I felt like I was the provider. Uh, but con that kind of control led to a lot of stress. What I learned through that is that when I clinging to money, I was clinging to fear and I had to ask myself self, are you really following Christ? I said, come on, self dude, self dude. That's what I said. I said, come on self, dude, where do you really find your security in money or in Jesus, in the Holy Spirit? And back then, self dude felt a little convicted and was, and he decided to, to loosen the reins and, and began moving in faith. And, and, and the Holy Spirit showed self, dude, how to do that. And when I learned, when I was able to loosen the reins on that and, uh, and give, uh, let God be in control of our finances and show me how to, to release that, uh, it was pretty cool how God showed, showed me what's up. And, uh, he, when I decided to let him lead, yeah, self dude changed quite a bit during that time. Self, self dude has grown, man. Yes, for sure. But you know, I've been there too. And for me it was the pole of security. You know, I wanted to know that, that we were always covered. No risk, no lack, because I grew up, I mean, and, and you can say this too. Yeah. I mean, we grew up with nothing in a lack mindset. Yeah. And I, you know, it came back to having parents who were raised by parents who were in the depression. And who suffered through the depression. And it was, you know, I grew up with that lack mindset. Right? But scarcity. The scarcity mindset. Scar mindset. Mindset. Right. We had to break that scarcity mindset. Yeah. And God kept nudging me saying, do you trust me to be your provider? Or do you trust your bank account? And honestly, you know, that took some hard lessons like giving when it didn't make sense or stepping out in obedience when the numbers just didn't even add up. Yeah. And I can remember doing that several times and, and tithing especially, and we'll get into that, you know, later down the road. But, um. Yeah. I mean, it didn't always make sense. It doesn't always make sense. And I, I gotta say that I have learned to love giving when it doesn't make sense. Yeah. Yeah. And that's not, not any, I'm not putting myself on a pedestal. No, no credit to myself. No glory to me, but all glory to God to the Lord.'cause, and we don't give, so we can get, uh, but. You know, the Lord says that he loves a cheer giver. We're gonna, we're gonna jump into that here a little later. But I love, I, I've learned to love giving when it doesn't make sense. Uh, we decide, um, when we decide to live aligned with his truth, uh, the, the ever living, breathing word of God, we learn to obey the spirit's prompt and move accordingly. If he says, give, we give. Uh, if he says, don't give, if, if, if it, maybe it's us, maybe it's, maybe we feel that we need to, to give out of, maybe out of guilt or mm-hmm. Or, or something like that. If it's obligation. It's obligation. Yeah. You know, everybody else is doing that, so, so we gotta do that. So we're gonna, we run, we run both sides of it. Pass the Lord and, and see what he says about that, you know, and, uh. Along the way. Uh, an example I could give is that comfort would say play it safe. And, uh, just, and what is safe is, is the world's safe, or, or Jesus is safe.'cause I, every time I, I, I've, I've learned the difference between the two. And every time I'm gonna go with Jesus is safe. Mm-hmm. Uh, so where comfort would say, play it safe, uh, the Bold Truth. Uh, faithfully reminds us that the capital T truth, that's the capital T truth, uh, the JC truth, right? Jesus Christ, yes. Yeah. He faithfully reminds us to, uh, step out comfort lies to us and tells us to pursue more because you deserve it. But Jesus encourages us to faithfully invest in his kingdom, and based on my experience, more is never enough and Jesus never disappoints. Amen to that. Yeah, absolutely. Amen to that. So, so what does kingdom stewardship look like in real life? I mean, can I, we have four practical. Anchors that we can unpack right now. Right. And why don't you start us off because this is one of your favorite. Favorite topics. I'm, I'll just keep rolling on generosity. Yeah. No, give first, not last. Mm-hmm. Uh, give, and I'll say that again. Give first, not last. And if you're not giving, give first, not last. Uh, yeah. It's, it's absolutely biblical generosity aligns our hearts with, uh, kingdom principles and precepts. It aligns our hearts with his heart, uh, with the Lord's heart. And it's, it's not about the amount, but it's about the obedience and the joy in giving. And I, I just, I mentioned it, or ear, I mentioned it earlier that, uh, earlier that I love to give when it doesn't make sense. But, uh, I remember, uh, Paul's encouragement to his, uh, when he wrote, uh, the second time in the second letter to the Corinthians when he said he, who's he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Mm-hmm. But also, uh, he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Each one should do. As he's, as is purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion for God, loves a cheerful giver. That's a second Corinthians nine, six, uh, through seven. So once we wrap our heart around that, uh, kingdom giving, uh, becomes a big beefy get to, I get to give. Uh, to people who need, I get to help. We, we get to help, uh, people who need it to, uh, need, need to be given to. Mm-hmm. They, they need that sort of help. Uh, and I watched. A lot of people coming up in that scarcity mm-hmm. That, that life, uh, early, uh, as a kid and as a teenager. Uh, and as, uh, what developed a scarcity mindset. I've seen a lot of people give, um, and, and help mom. Uh mm. And I'd give a shout out to my uncle Jim and my Aunt Joyce. Yeah. Um, and, uh. There's, yeah. They, they come to mind, but a lot of people get, and, and as I'm able to, because they were able to, and they, they, they give without expecting anything in return. Yeah. And, and that's, that's what it's all about. It's not, it's not giving for, uh, so that will get something back. It's giving, uh, Christ calls us to give without expecting anything in return. And I'm just gonna say because of that. I'm just gonna plug Hearts for Moms right now because we love Hearts for Moms and because our moms were single mothers, you know, they help single mothers. They give single moms a hand up and not a handout, a hand up. And you know, we love, we love. Being able to come beside them. Yes. With a generous heart. Yeah. What the spirit's placed on Angela and her team's hearts. Yeah. Uh, they, the spirit has literally given them hearts for moms. Right? Absolutely. And we love that organization. Absolutely. We love, we love, uh. Giving to that organization. We love being, being a part of it. And we, and if you wanna know more about it, I will drop it in the show notes. Right. Check it, check it out. Right. So, so anyway, go. Going back to, to, uh, being a cheerful giver, as, as we wrap our hearts around that it, we, it gets, it goes. Mm-hmm. It's a get to, not a white knuckle. Got to, yeah. We don't give out a compulsion. Mm-hmm. I say this to a lot of people'cause I get challenged on the tithe. A lot of people, I, I hear people are guys mainly, uh, upset about their finances. I was like, bro, you want, you want. More money. You want to, you wanna make more money? Do you want to have more than enough? Then I suggest that you give some of it away sacrificially. Mm-hmm. And I was like, I know it don't make sense, but give some of it away sacrificially and see what God does with your selfless obedience. Yeah. 100%. That's it. I've sa and I, this isn't just words on a page. I, I say this a lot and, and unbound. It's not just words on a page. This is, these are the words that came off the page and came to life. And these are life lessons that we've learned. Yeah. You know, we're not that we've lived. Yeah. That we've learned. Not even just learned. We've lived and we're living in it. Yeah. Yeah. It's good. Yeah. And we, uh, kingdom principles. Right. So what's next babe? Well, debt. Huh? Hello. Don't let debt be your master. Right. You know, Proverbs 22:7 reminds us that the borrower is the slave to the lender. Mm. And debt is more than numbers on a page. It's actually a weight that can limit your freedom. Mm. Your peace, and even your ability to say yes when God calls. You to go do something. Uh, maybe it's a mission trip. Maybe it's to give whatever it is, right? But every payment you owe is a piece of your future that is already spoken for. Absolutely. But here's the good news. God is a God of freedom. He is a God of freedom. Absolutely. And his heart is for you to live unburdened and ready to serve. Working toward debt. Freedom isn't just a financial strategy. It is a spiritual act of trust. Yeah. Trust in him. And each step you take to pay off debt is a declaration that I ref, uh, I am gonna give you the declaration. I refuse to be mastered by anything but Christ. That's it. Say it with me, Allen. Refuse. I refuse to be, to be mastered by anything, anything but Christ. Speak that out. Mm-hmm. Even if you don't believe it. Yeah. Speak that over yourself. Yeah. Speak that over your finances. Speak that over your home and your family. Yeah. Speak that truth. Yeah. That biblical truth over all that, all that you want, you want change, give it to God. Yeah. And start and see what he does with it. Right. And start praying over your finances and asking God for wisdom. Uh, create a plan to aggressively tackle what you owe, even if it feels like it's a long road. Um, I know about long roads in finances. Um, celebrate small victories along the way. Yeah. Um, each bill paid off here. Each bill. Think about it this way. Each bill paid off is one more link of that chain that's broken. Yeah. We love to break the chain. We like to get unbound. And break those chains. So when you're no longer tied to lenders, you are free to be radically generous, right? To follow God's promptings with no hesitation and to step boldly into kingdom opportunities, right? I do wanna be clear though, however, that debt does not define you. Yes. So do not let debt define you because only Jesus can define you. That's him. He defines you, right? So don't beat yourself up. Right. It's about progress. It's not perfection. Yep. And know that with him though, that freedom is totally possible. Absolutely, totally possible. Yeah. Not to, not to be cliche and always, but we're talking about finances too. Absolutely. And but not to be cliche, but you know, the son who, whoever receives the sun is, is free. Free. Indeed. Indeed, indeed. Indeed. So, um, he has, uh, all day, uh, every day. Jesus is the answer. Yeah. And, and Paul knew this and that, that brings us into our, our third point is contentment. Mm-hmm. Uh, and the Apostle Paul, uh, he said, I've learned to be content in every situation. Uh, and this is actually the context of the ever, so proof texted Philippians 4:13. So let's dig into the context for full effect here. Mm-hmm. Paul writes, not that I speak from want or. That I've learned to be content in whatever, sit, whatever circumstances I am. Uh, I know what, how to get along with humble means, and I know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstances. I've learned the secret. Paul knew the secret. He had learned the secret of being filled and of going hungry, of having abundance and that of suffering. He said, I can do all things. Through him who strengthens me. That's the context of it. Paul went through it. Paul lived on both sides of the tracks at one point or another, and regardless of his situation, uh, he relied on Christ Jesus, our Lord. And I believe that the secret that he speaks of in, in verse 12 as Jesus. Jesus was the most humble leader ever to walk the planet. Uh, his um, so much so that his amazing example of humility, enlightened and empowered Paul to follow suit and contentment with Paul was content with. Jesus's presence and his provision. He was content with Jesus being more than enough friends. Let us encourage you today. Let us, let us tell you from experience that every day when you release it to him, yeah, Jesus is more. Than enough. Yeah. Contentment's a spiritual discipline and it shatters the cycle of Moore's pursuit. Mm. Moore's pursuit more. The pursuit of more. Yeah. Pursuit of more. More is never enough. Mm-hmm. And Jesus is always enough. Yeah. Yeah. Well, number four is one of my favorite topics and one that I get to walk people through. Uh, fairly often, not as often as I would like to, I would say, but fairly often. But it's budgeting with Jesus at the center right on, you know, a, a budget. Allen is not just a spreadsheet. No, it's not, it's not just a spreadsheet in numbers, but it actually is a reflection of your heart's posture. And Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 for where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. Yeah. So, you know, every dollar we spend tells a story about what we value. That's why your budget can be one of your greatest discipleship tools. It's where faith actually meets action. And before you swipe the card or click by. Yeah. Pause and pray. Yeah. And I, I'm gonna be. 100% transparent. I don't always do this right, I need to do it more often. I need to pause and pray before I click the Amazon button, right before you even open up the app. Maybe before I open up the app. Yes. Maybe we can hold each other accountable to that May perhaps We do pretty good though. I don't know about all you. We do pretty good. But you know, Amazon, our Amazon driver probably knows us by name now, but Yeah. You know if, but if we would pray, you know, and ask the Holy Spirit, does this purchase align with kingdom values or is it just about my comfort? I mean, I'm gonna challenge us to do that as well. But the simple question actually turns financial decisions into spiritual formation moments, right? So invite God into your grocery list. Allen, you do the grocery shopping. Do you invite God into the grocery list? I bring in bare necessities. Maybe not bare necessities, but necessities, and you don't. And we, we stuck. That wasn't my question. Do you pray over your grocery list? I do not pray over my grocery list, but I do know what to bring and what not to bring. True. And, uh, true. You do a really good job at that. Do to stick sticking to a budget. And there there's, there is a, there's a number and it comes in under that number. Usually three out of four weeks of the month. Yeah, you, you are really good at that. Yeah. But, but when you start praying over your spending, um, you know, your budget stops feeling restrictive and starts actually becoming a roadmap for generosity. Right. For stewardship and. For freedom. Yeah. You know, it becomes a roadmap to freedom and it's not about guilt or deprivation, it's not about depriving yourself. Right. But it's about alignment. You know, God cares about the little things and the big things. Right. And when he is in the center of your finances, they actually become a tool for impact rather than a tool for stress, which I've lived that. Right. Still love it sometimes. Absolutely. And I, going back to the grocery list, what, what I do, I, I'm not specifically weekly, pray over, you know what, what. How much we spend it, it comes in under the budget. But what I do is, is I don't bring in a bunch of junk. Oh, that's true. You know, because we gotta steward our bodies well, as, as well. Mm-hmm. And it's, there's nothing wrong with a few tortilla chips, but when you know. When it, when it's, we do like our tortilla check. I watch some people check out at, at Costco and Aldi, man. And I'm like, goodness. Yeah, but you gotta, uh, so I do, uh,'cause this is, this is the, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Mm-hmm. We gotta take care of that. Yeah. That temple. So that part is, uh, is, is paid attention to as much as, uh, the financial aspect of it. Right. You know, so, yeah. Right. So, but uh. Back to your budgeting, you know? Mm-hmm. Here, here's a paradigm shift for you based on what Stace had just mentioned about budgeting, paradigm shift, a, a different way to see things, a budget. A lot of people see budget as restriction, but the paradigm shift for you, unless you're driving, write this down. Yeah. It's, it's not, your budget is not about restriction. It's about direction. Yes. It's not about restriction. It's about direction. Let the spirit guide your direction. Mm-hmm. And when we, when we decide to release and receive direction, I think, I think we, uh, we will experience what we like to refer to as a blemo. Moment, a blama moment. It's a blama. It's, it's important to, uh, to give every dollar, see, every dollar as, as a dollar, as a soldier in Christ army. It sounds a little corny, but, uh, every dollar as a soldier in God's army. And it's important that we, we send those dollars to fight for eternity rather than holding onto'em just to build a, a frivolous. Temporary house of cards, right? Yeah. And, and let's not forget when we say yes to God and our finances, you know, it often feels risky, but that's where testimonies of his faithfulness shine the brightest. And we have some amazing testimonies. Of his faithfulness through our finances. Yeah, absolutely. And, and I'm sure as we go along through this podcast, we'll we'll be sharing them, but Sure. You know, just when, just thinking right now, you know what, what often doesn't make sense on paper. You know, makes sense in the kingdom. Right. Somehow giving, and he provides ti doesn't make sense on paper, right? I, I've put it down on paper. I was like, Nope, that don't look right. Yeah. All right. And then I give anyway and it always comes out ahead, huh? He's awesome, man. Somehow he's good. Somehow he's good stuff. Yeah. Uh, so anyway, uh. It's important, uh, friends that when in doubt we remember Jesus's truth, he had so much truth. Uh, I mean, he is so much truth. He is the way, the truth and the life. But his truth, encouragement in Matthew's gospel when he, when he proclaims that, that we're we're better off. Storing up treasures in heaven where moth and rust don't destroy, where thieves don't break in and steal. He says, where your treasure is, your heart will be there. Also. Sta mentioned that a little earlier and sometimes that gets twisted around. You get those prosperity preachers going, that saying that where your heart is, your treasure will be also. But that's not what Jesus said. Jesus. It's it's clearly. Uh, stated in Matthew's Gospel that where your treasure is, your heart will be also. So where is your treasure stored up at? Mm-hmm. Where are you storing your treasure? That's something to think about, something to pray about, don't you think? Mm-hmm. Uh, so what if, what if, what if, what if? Hold on. What if we started looking at every paycheck, uh, every spending decision, uh, every act of giving through God's perspective. What if we saw it as a get to. A big beefy get to, uh, instead of a, instead of a white knuckling. Got to. Yeah. Uh, I, I think we would, we would definitely tell you that you'd be better off over the long run. You're better off in the short run, uh, as, as well as the long run. Absolutely. Yeah. So, so maybe today your next step is simple. Maybe you create a prayerful budget, or maybe it's bolder. Maybe you step out faithfully and drop some radical generosity. Or maybe it's asking God to free you from debt so that you can live open-handed, right. And, you know, as we wind down here today, you know, we, we just wanna recap a little of what we just talked about. Just give you the four takeaways and the, and the challenge to try these this week, right? As we move, as you move forward, right. If, if you're on board, you know, take these bold takeaways with you. Yeah. If you are, if you're not on board, take these bold takeaways with you, right? If you decide when. When you decide to take these bold takeaways mm-hmm. When you decide to put these into practice, you will see change. You will see your finances transformed. Mm-hmm. The first is give first, not last. Generosity is all about worship. Put God first and your finances first and best. Yeah. All the time. And number two is debt is a master break free. Don't let debt be your master. That's it. Don't let debt chain your calling. So plan the work and work the plan towards freedom. That's it. Make that change shorter every paycheck. Mm-hmm. Make that change just a little bit shorter. Yeah. Number three is choose contentment over comparison. Gratitude. Woo. Gratitude love. Gratitude kills greed. Yeah. Gratitude kills greed and fuels. Life and peace. Yes. Budget with Jesus at the center. You know, every dollar is a disciple or as Jesus said, a soldier for, for God's kingdom. So send it on a Kingdom mission, you know, don't hesitate to do that. Yeah. Jesus didn't say that I said that, but you know, thanks for the compliment. Oh, I, I think I said as you, okay. Nevermind. No, you said Jesus said just for those. Allen said not Jesus. Well, I think maybe the Holy Spirit spoke that you, she loves, loves me a whole lot. And as, and he is, he is working through me. Thank you for that recognition anyway. It's alright to be a little silly here. Absolutely. We better be a little silly if we're not silly. You know? We're too serious. Anyway, so, and the, um, the fifth, uh, bold, uh, financial encouragement is kingdom. Over comfort. How often? Always, always, always. Kingdom over comfort. Kingdom over comfort, always risky. Obedience opens the door to God's faithfulness. Yeah, and that's the call right there, folks. Truth believers, hear us now. That's the call right there. Decide for Kingdom over comfort. Don't settle for building your stuff. Pile higher. Trust Jesus. Yeah. I'll say it again. Trust Jesus. Listen to his insight during your quiet time, and watch him prove himself faithful time and time again. And remember, you're not alone in this. The Holy Spirit is your guide, and Jesus is your provider, right? He will meet you as you steward his resources. He will meet you with open hands, absolutely every time. Right. Well babe, that wraps up another episode of Faithfully Invested. So friends, if you've been encouraged by this, we'd love for you to share it with someone else who would, uh, who could use. Encouragement in this area. Yeah. And be sure to tell us what you think. And don't forget to leave us a five star review because it actually helps us reach more kingdom leaders who need these messages. Five star review. Yes, Allen. Thank you. Five star review. But until next time, remember that when you decide to live faithfully invested, God brings the increase. Yeah, he does. Be blessed. Take care. Thanks for joining us on Faithfully Invested with Allen and Stacy Jo, if today's conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or helped you see your calling more clearly, don't keep it to yourself. That's right. Share it with a friend. Leave a five star review and keep leaning into God's blueprint for your life, your leadership, and your legacy. So until next time, remember, when you invest in his kingdom, he brings the increase.