Get Smart About Your Money - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - June 25, 2025

Daily Hope with Rick Warren

Audio By Carbonatix

By Rick Warren, Crosswalk.com

rick warrens daily hope new banner may 2022

Get Smart About Your Money
By Rick Warren

“The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts.” Proverbs 14:8 (TLB)

Money is a tool to be used for God’s purposes. We’re not to hoard it. We’re not to stockpile it. We’re not to worship it. We’re to use it! We can use temporary resources—what God has put in our hands—for permanent good.

In Luke 16, Jesus turned the dishonest but shrewd manager into the hero. The manager knew he was going to be fired, so he decided to make some friends by lowering the debts owed to his master.

What did Jesus like about this guy? Even though the man was dishonest, he did three things right, and those three things reveal lessons that God wants you to learn and apply to your finances.

The manager looked ahead.

Most people don’t think ahead when it comes to their finances. But if we’re not saving anything, we’re setting ourselves up for trouble.

Proverbs 14:8 says, “The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts” (TLB).

The manager made a plan.

How do you know if you’ve got a financial plan? It’s really simple: Do you have a budget? A budget is simply planned spending. A budget tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went. You’ve got to have a plan.

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:9, “We should make plans—counting on God to direct us” (TLB).

The manager acted quickly.

Luke 16:4 says, “I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired” (NLT).

The manager didn’t procrastinate; he didn’t delay. He set his plan in motion. He didn’t say, “Someday I’m going to get my finances in order” or “Someday I’m going to start saving for retirement.”

Jesus didn’t commend the manager’s dishonesty but his attitude, which said, “I’m going to think ahead. I’m going to make a plan. And I’m going to act today to invest in relationships that will make a difference for eternity.”

That’s smart! And Jesus wants you to do the same when it comes to your finances. Are you spending your treasure here on earth or looking ahead and using it for the good of God’s eternal kingdom?

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick

Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

Your Gift Brings Hope to the World

Transform your prayer life with God’s Word!

True breakthrough from the struggles of life begins with prayer—and there is no better place to start cultivating a powerful prayer life than the Bible.

Discover the biblical wisdom you need to transform the way you pray when you dive into this special collection of verses from God’s Word. You’ll be inspired and encouraged by Scripture as you learn to trust in his promises.

Drawing key verses from Pastor Rick’s "40 Days of Prayer" teaching series, this set of 52 beautifully designed cards will help you memorize God’s Word so you can access it when you need it most—and it’s our thanks for your gift today to help more people experience the transformative power of prayer through Daily Hope!

Thank you for helping share the hope of Jesus Christ. May you enjoy a time of breakthrough as you fill your heart and mind with the truth of Scripture.

*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of “current offer” materials you received from Daily Hope.