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.