Money in the Word Episode 3: Luke 14:28

A look at Luke 14:28 and the importance of considering the future when you make decisions today, especially when it comes to your finances from Amy Artiga, CFP®, of Guide Financial Planning.

Welcome to Money in the Word. I'm Amy Artiga and I'm one of the financial planners here at Guide Financial Planning. Thank you for taking the time to join me today as we dig into what the Bible says about money and how it applies to our lives.

Today's passage is Luke 14:28. It says, "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?" Now Jesus is the one talking here and he's actually talking about discipleship. He's using a tower as an example to tell his disciples to count the cost of following him. He's referring to something that he assumes is common sense in order to illustrate his point, and the point of all of this for us is don't be nearsighted but consider the future when you make decisions today. Look at the big picture, that's the point of this scripture.

Let's take a moment to look at it in more detail. He says, "Won't you first sit down?" Don't rush into decisions, take the time to sit down and think them through first. And then he goes on to say, "See if you have enough money to complete it." Completing the tower is the end goal. You have to have the end goal in mind when you're building a tower. You don't buy your bricks one at a time and hope for the best, you need to look at the big picture.

What if you do look at the big picture and you don't have enough money to complete the tower you want? Well in that case, you have four different options. One, you can start saving and wait to start building until you do have enough money. The second one is you can change the blueprint for your tower and build something that you can afford instead of what you originally wanted. Third, you could find a way to get more money immediately. Maybe by selling something you have a value. And then fourth, you could also borrow money and go into debt in order to be able to build the tower that you want.

Now you're probably not building a literal tower right now, but there are other things that you're building and you want to have, especially in your financial life. One of the first big decisions people make is purchasing a car. When it comes to their finances, when you sit down and count the cost for a car purchase, you need to look at more than just the sticker price for the car. How much will gas cost? What about insurance? Can you afford those as well?

What if it's a college education you're looking at? Many people just look at the cost of tuition for the first year of school, but it's important to look at the big picture. How much will it cost for all four years needed to earn a bachelor's degree? The verse in Luke goes on to say i you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you. I've seen this happen a lot with college. Someone sends their child away to a private school without counting the cost of the full degree, and then they end up coming back home a year later because they couldn't afford to stay in that school. That happens a lot with college.

Here's another example, purchasing a home. When you're looking at buying a home, don't just look at the cost of the mortgage. You need to consider the property taxes, utilities and maintenance. Another thing to think about that most people don't, is the expected lifestyle of the neighborhood. If all of your neighbors are driving luxury cars and vacationing in Hawaii, you'll likely feel the need to do the same.

Finally, let's talk about the life that you're building. Is your lifestyle sustainable? Can you afford the current lifestyle you want while also saving enough to maintain it when you stop working? Most people are unable to keep working up until the day they die, so you want to complete the life that you're building and finish well. You need to be saving for retirement. In this passage, Jesus tells us not to be nearsighted. He says consider the future, keep the future in mind as you make decisions in the present. Jesus seemed to think it was a good idea, so we should try it. As he told his disciples in Luke 14:28, "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?"

Let's pray. Jesus, help us to look at the big picture. Help us to consider the future impact of the decisions we make today, and please give us discernment as we make those decisions. Amen.

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