A Biblical View of Wealth

Posted on August 31, 2020August 31, 2020 by richabbaholyabba

God’s word draws a very clear line between what is important in life versus what is insignificant.

The eternal is important and what we do in the short time we have on earth, the decisions we make and how we spend our time can affect not only our eternity but also the eternity of those lives we touch with God’s love and the gospel.

So what is wealth in the Bible?

¹⁹‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-20

Wealth in the Bible

As Christians, we need to think of money, which is transient, as the means to a greater end. Financial wealth may be important in this life but in the face of eternity it remains insignificant.

So what should we consider wealth in the Bible context? I believe there are three things

Time for God’s work
Sufficient Resources to meet our needs and
The Ability to Give Generously

Wealth in the bible is having time for the important things in life

1. Time

Time’s value is immeasurable. Time to devote to God’s work, spend with the people we love and to share the good news of the gospel with others.

Wealth in the Bible means having enough time to do the things that are important – both to God and to us.

I remember a wealthy gentleman in our church. I did not know him and his wife very well as it was a fairly large church. They were a good few years older than my wife and I and moved in different social circles. Truth be told, he probably wouldn’t even remember me now. However, I remember him as he was deeply involved in our church and able to touch many lives. This was mainly because he had so much time available.

Having earned a good living and invested wisely, this man had retired early to spend time with his family. He remained actively involved in the church and gave huge amounts of his time to serve in any way he could

I recall one year when he, as a parent and guardian, accompanied his daughter and a group of her school peers on a mission trip to Egypt. The school had planned the mission trip and needed parents who could volunteer to accompany the team to assist as guardians on the trip.

What a privilege to be able to spend that time with his teenage daughter, working together in ministry, training a future generation to share God’s love with others. He was able to do this because he had been a good steward with what God had entrusted him. And he had the wisdom to spend that time wisely, building up treasure in heaven, so to speak.

THIS REQUIRES – Passive Income Sources

As long as we live in this world, we need food shelter and clothing. We need to provide for those who depend on us. This can include our children, elderly parents or relatives who are unable to care for themselves.

This costs money… and the only ways to acquire that money are to:

Spend our time & effort to earn it or
Acquire assets that earn it for us

If you don’t want to spend all your time earning money, you need to find ways to generate passive income through assets that earn money for you.

These could include rental income from additional properties, dividends from shares in a company, royalties or revenue from an online business that takes little or none of your time.

Can you build this overnight? Of course not. I’m not suggesting that we all quit our jobs and bet everything on red. It takes time and consistency. As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago; the second-best time is today.

Wealth in the bible is having sufficient resources to meet your needs

2. Sufficient Resources

³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:31-33

God’s word acknowledges our need for food, clothing and shelter. He tells us not to worry about these things but to seek first his kingdom.

Wealth in the Bible means having enough resources to meet our needs; our Daily Bread, so to speak.

As long as we have enough resources to pay for our food, clothing and shelter, we have sufficient resources.

So how much is enough? That is something I can’t tell you. Each of us needs to decide this for ourselves.

THIS REQUIRES – Godliness with Contentment

Basic requirements include Food, clothing and shelter.

Truth be told, many hard-working people have far more than those basic requirements today. New cars, new furniture, new appliances and electronics, even regular dinners out at restaurants. These are all things that have become basic necessities in our lives.

A 2012 survey showed that, among other things, the following items are considered a ‘Basic Necessity’ in the United Kingdom:

Washing Machine
Celebrations
Phone
Hobby
Home decorated
Television

Anyone who can’t afford any one of these is deemed to be below the poverty line. Now I’m not suggesting we should all make do without these things. I am suggesting that Godliness with contentment involves a level of sacrifice. So does wealth-building. So Joe Public believes that a television is a basic necessity? Fine. But why buy a $5,000 TV when a $200 one will do? Just saying.

Godliness with contentment allows us to reach our goals sooner. The less content we are, the longer it will take to acquire sufficient resources which, in turn, frees up our time to do the things that are important to us.

And without Godliness with contentment, we may never achieve those goals.

Wealth in the bible is having the ability to give generously

3. Ability to Give

God’s word urges us to give to his kingdom and to the poor & needy. That means generosity towards God and towards those around us.

Wealth in the Bible means having the ability to give generously both to God’s kingdom and those less fortunate than ourselves.

Giving is one of the great joys in this world. It is important to note that God doesn’t care how much we give, but rather that we give of what we have. No matter how much or how little.

God neither needs nor cares about our money. He cares about our hearts – and nothing reveals a heart’s true state as clearly as its attitude toward money.

Again, God doesn’t need this litmus test to see our heart’s state. He already knows our darkest secrets. The test is for us to see and understand our own state.

The ability to give generously is both a joy and a responsibility.

THIS REQUIRES – A Generous Heart and Disposable Income

With generous hearts and resources to share, we are in a position to give as the Bible commands us.

The ability to give generously means having sufficient income to meet our basic necessities and then some. The more money we have over and above what we require to meet our basic needs, the more we have to share.

Of course, all the money in the world means nothing if we don’t have generous hearts. As we build our wealth let us never forget what we are building it for.

The wealth we create belongs to God. He entrusts us with this wealth and, as good stewards, we should never betray that trust. We should use our wealth to give generously to God’s kingdom and the needy. We should also focus on reinvesting and managing that wealth in such a way that it continues to serve God’s purposes long after we leave this earth to be with him for all eternity.

This is wealth in the Bible in its truest sense.

Never Stay in Your Own Hotel

Posted on August 24, 2020August 25, 2020 by richabbaholyabba

Have you ever dreamed of owning your own hotel?

Have you imagined yourself breezing into Reception with your family and being ushered through to the presidential suite like a VIP? Have you pictured treating your friends to a five-star meal and, when time comes to pay, it all just goes on your director’s account. No charge!

Imagine being treated like royalty in your own establishment and never having to pay for the privilege!

Time for a reality-check.

Do you also picture yourself being dragged from your bed in the presidential suite of your own hotel at 05h30 by a panicked manager because your breakfast staff did not turn up and there is nobody else to help set the buffet?

Do you picture yourself watching your family dine while you serve coffee to strangers in your own hotel because half your staff couldn’t be bothered to show up on time, if at all.

Can you picture having to excuse yourself from your friends at dinner to go and deal with a printer issue, or a broken credit card machine at Reception?

Or doing battle on your mobile phone with your telecomms provider for one and a half hours because the internet has gone down and your staff are unable to process payments? Your team can’t do this because they are stretched to breaking point, doing everything manually while a queue of irate customers lines up at the till to pay for a meal they finished nearly an hour ago.

The Prophets and Profits Align

Why can’t your staff do this, you ask? After all, that’s what you’re paying them for. It’s a fair question but is this the value system you want to communicate to your loyal staff members?

If some waiters let your manager down and said manager sends a shout-out for help in order to get the breakfast buffet set up on time, how would it look if the business owner left the one responsible staff member to their fate and then had a good lie-in in the Presidential suite while stress and panic mounted in the restaurant downstairs?

Not only is this bad business practice; it is not how we should treat our staff members according to God’s word.

¹²So in everything, do unto others what you would have them do unto you, for this sums up the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12

As business owners, we have to live the values that we expect our staff to abide by. All we can do in the situation is buckle down and get the job done… then deal with the discipline or sackings later on.

This is a principle I learned from running my own businesses. If you want to run your own hotel, do so. But understand that this is your business! When you show up at this establishment you come to work… and your friends and family need to understand this.

If you want to enjoy a stress-free sumptuous five-star meal or have a romantic weekend getaway with your spouse, book somewhere else. You can still claim it as a legitimate business expense as it is an opportunity to check out the competition or research ways to improve your own business.

The same principle applies when buying a holiday home. Many people dream of owning a beach house or a log cabin in the mountains. They picture owning a home that they can rent out to generate an income – with the added benefit of being able to use this whenever they feel like it.

The problem is they think of this as a lifestyle first and a business second. Then, when they get calls from the neighbors at all hours of the night because their guests are rowdy and having parties, they become annoyed. When guests call them constantly on evenings or weekends to report that appliances have broken or the heating is not working, annoyance turns to rage.

And when they realize they can’t use the property on the long weekend or over the summer, as they planned, because that is the only time guests want to book it, they become resentful.

If you don’t enjoy the business aspects of this type of investment, then you are better off investing in a different venture that requires less maintenance. After all, you can happily use the profits from an easier investment to book your summer vacation at the beach , or to have that romantic getaway at a hotel spa come your wedding anniversary.

You don’t have to own something to enjoy it.

Sometimes You Have to Push Back

Posted on August 17, 2020July 1, 2020 by richabbaholyabba

In life, we encounter disagreements. In business, even more so. And, as business is, well – business – those disagreements are usually over money. As a Christian, I value relationships over money and try to abide by Jesus teaching whether in business or otherwise…

²³‘Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.’
Matthew 5:23-26

In general, it is my natural tendency to capitulate when faced with a disagreement in business and do unto others as I would have them do unto me. If someone feels I have wronged them or owe them money for some reason, I am naturally more inclined to give them what they feel they are owed, even when I believe I have right on my side. This in an attempt to preserve a healthy relationship; I can always make more money.

The trouble is, our counterparts won’t always play fair in the world of business. And, very often, it is those who are closest to us in business who can abuse our trust the most.

By way of example, if a new client tries to cheat you, by claiming false compensation for a “defective” product or service that you suspect, but can’t prove, was well up to standard, you could chalk it up to experience and let the matter go. You may lose a bit of money but at least you have a clear conscience that, even on the off-chance that the product/service was genuinely defective, you have at least made good and acted with integrity. You can, of course, learn from the mistake and refuse to do business with that person in future if you don’t believe they are trustworthy.

But what if the disagreement is not with a client who you are unlikely to ever see again? What if a disagreement brews with a business partner you have worked with for years? This is a relationship of far higher value. What if you choose to preserve the relationship over money and cave on a disagreement over money, only to find that your business partner then abuses your good faith further and begins to demand more money, a greater share of your profits or a share of future earnings?

In situations like this, you quickly find that, for every inch you give, your counterpart demands another mile. This goes way beyond a simple disagreement in business. Left unchecked, you will reach a point where your adversary is not merely playing hard-ball but is actually stealing the food off your children’s table.

Disagreement in Business

There comes a time in every business when you simply have to push back. This might mean letting a long-standing employee go or ending a business partnership that has become toxic. And in some cases, it will mean that your counterpart may feel aggrieved as they didn’t get all they wanted when you parted ways. In such cases, that is on them.

I try my level best to walk a mile in the other person’s shoes, so to speak and, if I am convinced that they genuinely believe I have wronged them or owe them a debt, I am more often than not prepared to pay them what they feel they are owed in order to preserve the relationship even if I disagree with their view of things.

But when I feel that someone is simply taking advantage of my generosity or sense of integrity, the gloves come off.

If we let people bully or take advantage of us in business, it won’t be long before we are out of business.

By that, I don’t mean the scripture is wrong; it’s not. With regards to disagreement in business, what I am saying is that Matthew 5:23-26 is not telling us that we should be doormats for the rest of the world to walk all over.

Why do You Only Talk About Money?

Posted on August 10, 2020June 29, 2020 by richabbaholyabba

Well, someone has to.

Several of the financial-guru-type authors I have read over the years listed the primary differences between the wealthy and the middle-class / poor.

One difference that tops those lists is that the wealthy are, by and large, comfortable talking about money.

The poor and middle-class are generally not. That’s certainly how things were in my household, growing up.

Where does Christian thinking lie on this spectrum? I think it is fair to say, more towards the poor and middle-class end of that scale. We don’t like to talk about money. As a subject, it generally ranges from uncomfortable, to taboo in most Christian circles.

When it is addressed directly, it is usually in the context of giving our tithes and offerings to the local church. While this is a step in the right direction, it barely scratches the surface.

Admit it or not, our relationship with money is far deeper and more complex than that.

Talk About Money

How is it that a subject so deeply ingrained in our human psyche is so seldom addressed in a Christian context?

The experts say that children already understand the connection between money and things by age four. When they lose their first tooth at around age six, they receive a shiny new coin in their slipper the next morning. Let’s face it, the reason that coin has such value in their eyes is because the value of money was already entrenched in their psyche years earlier.

Our relationship with money starts in early childhood and lasts for the rest of our lives. That relationship can be anything from healthy to downright toxic. It can be a blessing or a curse and the only factor that determines which, is our attitude towards money.

Why wouldn’t we talk about money as Christians?

I acknowledge there is way more to our Christian walk than money. However, most aspects of our spiritual condition and our relationship with God are properly addressed and widely taught by pastors and teachers in churches throughout the world. I have simply elected to address one important aspect that is, by and large, not.

3 Reasons Why Christians Can’t be Wealthy

Posted on August 3, 2020July 29, 2020 by richabbaholyabba

Well, of course, they can. However, wealth is a touchy subject among Christians. Because of basic misunderstandings and assumptions, many Christians can’t be wealthy.

In fact the only things holding Christians back from true wealth are self-imposed limitations.

Here are my top three.

Christians Can’t be Wealthy When…

1. They Mistake Wealth for Riches

Throughout the First World, Christians and non-Christians alike find themselves in a state of constant financial struggle. Not poor – but forced to work long hours in jobs they hate just to make rent and pay their monthly bills.

Many Christians long to escape from this cycle but feel unable to. What if someone told you that you could find true wealth without becoming rich? You can!

It is our First-World mentality, not the Bible, that tells us the only way to true wealth is by becoming rich. For Christians this is a stumbling block because we understand that there lies the love of money and the road to ruin.

Riches are the measure of a bank balance. Wealth is the measure of freedom and choice.
Rich Abba, Holy Abba

Too many Christians believe the world’s lie that freedom and choice requires infinite riches. This is one reason why many Christians can’t be wealthy.

When we begin to understand wealth outside the context of riches, the stumbling block is removed. The truth is that many Christians could achieve true wealth with little or no more money than they have now.

Think of it this way; what would you do for God and his kingdom – how would you spend your time – if you could maintain your current income but were able to choose your hours and work from anywhere in the world?

You would be no richer than you are now but possibly infinitely wealthier.

2. They Bow to Materialism

Here is an unpalatable truth. Materialism is simply the Love of Money in a different guise.

Like a master-illusionist, Satan focuses all our attention on Acquisition of Riches Love of Money, while quietly hiding the Materialism Love of Money that takes root our hearts…. and we, his victims, continue to believe we are immune because we still feel poor!

Materialism is not only the Love of Money; it is the very thing that keeps us in a place of financial struggle.

Understanding Godliness with Contentment, can free us from materialism and the love of money. As our spending patterns change, we are able to create true wealth with opportunities for freedom and choice.

Not by becoming richer but rather by becoming better stewards of God’s blessing in our lives.

3. They Focus on Bread Instead of Seed

Many Christians think of any investment as the pursuit of riches and, by extension, the love of money. This, coupled with a natural human fear of anything we don’t understand, prevents many Christians from ever investing their earnings in assets that grow in value.

Instead, they spend it on their “Daily Bread” (i.e. the things they need to support themselves and their family month by month). When Christians view everything they earn as bread rather than seed, they automatically see it as something to be consumed rather than planted.

This is a reason why many Christians can’t be wealthy.

This is not a question of pursuing riches but, rather, one of stewardship. As Christians we should first acknowledge that all we have belongs to God. When we consume all the resources God places in our trust as bread, this is not good stewardship.

Some of those resources are bread, to be sure. Christians can and should use this bread to support themselves and their families. They should also be generous with the bread they have and share it with others in need or as tithes and offerings to further God’s kingdom.

However, as good stewards of the blessings with which God has entrusted us, Christians should reserve a portion of their earnings as seed to be planted for future harvest.

If unsure of how to do this or where and how to invest, then I would submit that Christians have a duty to understand this, like the good and faithful servant in Matthew 25:14-30 who wisely used what his master gave him to produce an increase.

By becoming good stewards of God’s resources, we can break the cycle and find true freedom – or true wealth! We can do this not by becoming richer but by becoming good stewards of that which God has already given us.