The Finish Line Podcast Michael Blue, Director of Discipleship at the Ron Blue Institute, on the Personal Journey of Surrender (Ep. 172)
Michael Blue serves as Director of Discipleship and former President of the Ron Blue Institute, and his life reflects a steady journey of learning to trust God with open hands. Raised in a home shaped by biblical financial stewardship, Michael developed strong habits around money early on. Yet it was in his thirties, amid professional success and financial security, that God exposed a deeper restlessness. What appeared stable on the surface revealed an inner hollowness, leading Michael and his family into a season of prayer, surrender, and renewed reflection on what faithful obedience truly means.
In his current role, Michael focuses on forming biblical and practical financial wisdom in the next generation, particularly among high school and college students. He has also helped pioneer the 9:23 Fellowship, a discipleship journey that invites believers to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus in every area of life, including how they steward money, grow in community, and trust God’s provision.
Michael’s calling is to help believers align their finances with wholehearted discipleship, viewing stewardship as worship and generosity as freedom rooted in trust. This episode creates space to rethink money, faith, and obedience in ways that feel both convicting and hopeful.
Major Topics Include:
- Learning to live openhandedly
- Thinking through savings as a giver
- Relying on God for provision
- Engaging younger generations through the Ron Blue Institute
- Helping the Church recognize and overcome greed and covetousness
- Four H’s of biblical stewardship for college students
- The difference between “bread” and “seed”
- Flourishing together in community
- Learning to be a good receiver
- Stretching your faith through steps of generosity
- “Giving ought to be joyful and saving ought to be purposeful, but if it’s just rote obedience, you can lose the heart behind it.”
- “God delights in inviting us to participate in His story.”
- “Stewardship is managing our money for the glory of God.”
- “Our capacity to meet people in their time of need all comes down to our margin of time and money.”
- “Whenever we feel like God gives us more, more often than not, it’s seed for sowing.”
- “The most generous people are the least fearful people I know. They’re not wracked with anxiety about providing for them in the future.”
- “We were made to flourish together in community.”
- “We’re all created to be both givers and receivers, so a healthy church is one where I can both give and receive.”
- “The thing that drives us to a life of continued generosity is hungering after who God is, what he’s done in our lives, and how we can grow nearer to HIm.”
- Ron Blue Institute (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
- The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns
- International Justice Mission (IJM)
- Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
2 Corinthians 8-9 | The Macedonian Church
Matthew 6:33 | Seek First the Kingdom
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Luke 9:23 | Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
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