I was out for a walk recently in an unfamiliar neighborhood, visiting family who had just moved into a new home. As I cooled down, I couldn’t help but notice how beautifully kept everything was. “There’s some really nice landscaping in your neighborhood,” I remarked. “I wonder if people do their own yard work or hire it out?”
That walk got me thinking. Scripture reminds us that God “moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, The Message). It made me wonder: what might God’s house look like if God lived here?
We often spend a lot of time, energy, and money making the outside of our homes look pristine. A manicured lawn and great curb appeal show the world what we care about. But as I passed those lovely yards, another question came to mind: “What’s going on inside?” Are the homeowners investing as much into the health of their inner lives as they do on their exteriors?
I am genuinely convinced that God cares far more about our insides than our outsides. When our heart—the unseen part of our life—is healthy, it naturally produces the Fruit of the Spirit on the outside.
The same is true for our resources. Financial discipleship is simply integrating our faith with our finances—letting our internal values shape how we steward what we’ve been given. How we spend our money often reveals what we value most.
This fall, we are offering financial discipleship classes to help all of us practice healthy stewardship. I hope you’ll join me August 12 as we learn how our inner faith shapes our outward finances—because true health always starts from the inside out.