Saturday, May 10, 2025

The Money Game - How to play the Money Game and Win - Chapter 1 of 7


In 1995 my wife, daughter, and I moved to the Nashville, Tennessee area. Back in those days I listened to the Dave Ramsey radio show "The Money Game" (Financial Peace) aired on Nashville's WWTN 96.7 FM.  Dave's radio show was then  syndicated so you may heard it, if lived in the local area back then.  

The title always reminded me of the board game Monopoly. In fact, the early cassette covers of The Money Game featured artwork resembling a corner of the Monopoly board. That image sparked a lasting thought in me: life often feels a lot like that game. Every day we "roll the dice" and move forward, yet it often seems as though someone else is doing the rolling. We’re pushed around by circumstances, hoping just to make it back to “Go” to collect a fresh $200.

Along the way, we hope to gain property and build wealth, but more often we land on someone else’s square and have to pay for it. Sometimes we get sent to “jail”—not literally, but into financial traps that delay progress. Life may not follow Monopoly’s exact rules, but many of us feel stuck in a cycle that mirrors that kind of economic struggle.

It feels like we're playing a game with unwritten rules, and the rules seem to change without notice. Too often, we find ourselves with very little property (net worth) and very little in our bank accounts. We land on squares that cost us dearly—unexpected emergencies, medical bills, car repairs—and the financial burden sets us back even further. Like mortgaging Oriental Avenue just to pay rent on Park Place, we scramble to stay afloat. But what happens when there's nothing left to mortgage? The game ends—and we feel bankrupt, both financially and emotionally.

Many of us know that feeling. You may even feel that way right now—trapped, discouraged, and uncertain. How did we get here? Was it just bad luck? Is God rolling the dice of our lives? Or is it the enemy trying to bring hardship and destruction? Maybe, just maybe, our circumstances are the result of our own decisions. Is it possible that our financial burdens are consequences—not punishments—from poor choices?

We live in a society constantly telling us what we need in order to be successful: a big house, a luxury car, designer clothes, and career advancement at all costs. Television, social media, and advertising reinforce this message daily. We’re told to think and grow rich, to hustle harder, to never settle. But are we being motivated—or manipulated? Are we being trained to desire more than God ever intended for us?

How to Play the Money Game and Win

Before you can play any game, you must understand three things: the goal, the rules, and the strategies to win.

Satan wants us to believe there are no rules—that we should do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if it means stepping on others, forgetting our values, or living only for ourselves.

But God’s Word teaches something very different.

  • "The righteous live by faith." (Romans 1:17)

  • "We walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)

  • We are called to stand firm in faith, even when life looks difficult or discouraging.

Jesus summarized the law with two great commandments in Matthew 22:37–39:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

The world teaches us to love money. God teaches us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Money itself isn't evil—but being obsessed with it is.

The world says to seek financial independence so we won’t need God. But the Bible teaches us that everything we have belongs to Him, and we are merely stewards of His resources. He promises to meet our needs—food, shelter, and clothing—but wants our desires to align with His will.

Our job, income, and possessions are all His. As stewards, we are called to manage these blessings with wisdom and to honor God by giving back the first 10%—the tithe. Dave Ramsey’s teaching helped me embrace this truth, and once I did, tithing became an act of worship rather than obligation.

Even our bodies belong to God:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

The world measures success by status symbols: career titles, homes, and cars. But God measures us by the fruit we bear—by the love, generosity, and compassion we show. The life of a true believer reflects a heart surrendered to God and devoted to serving others.

The world says to get all you can and exploit the less fortunate to build your empire. But Scripture reminds us:

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." (Matthew 6:19–21)

We’re taught by the world that we are our own gods, shaping our own destinies. But Scripture teaches that real transformation begins within, and that only God can bring true change.

God’s Word urges us to stay out of debt:

  • "Owe no man anything, except to love one another." (Romans 13:8)

  • "The borrower is slave to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7)

  • "The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous is gracious and gives." (Psalm 37:21)

  • "Don’t withhold repayment when it’s within your power to pay." (Proverbs 3:27–28)

  • "The wise store up choice food and oil, but fools gulp theirs down." (Proverbs 21:20)

  • "Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house." (Proverbs 24:27)

Scripture also calls us to generosity:

  • "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)

  • "Instruct them to be generous and willing to share... so they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:18–19)

  • "The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives." (Deuteronomy 14:23)

  • "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing..." (Malachi 3:8–11)

Money is not our master. Jesus said:

"No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money." (Luke 16:13)

True success, as defined by Scripture, is not in riches, but in faithfulness:

"Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2)

We must recognize that God owns everything:

  • "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it." (Psalm 24:1)

  • "Everything in the heavens and the earth is Yours, O Lord." (1 Chronicles 29:11)

When we believe that we own our possessions, our emotions rise and fall with them. But when we recognize that God owns everything, we can have peace in all circumstances.

Being a faithful steward means managing well—whether we have a little or a lot. We often teach giving in the church, but we rarely teach stewardship. God is not only concerned with the 10% we give but with how we use the remaining 90%.

The world says: you’ll be happy when you accumulate enough. God says: you’ll be content when you trust Me to provide.

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation... whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12)

"Your Father knows what you need. He will give you everything you need each day." (Luke 12:30–31)

"If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." (1 Timothy 6:8)

Let us aim not just to survive the game of life, but to win by God’s definition—through faith, contentment, and faithful stewardship.

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