How to Kill Thorns and Thistles in the Christian Walk

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To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Genesis 3:17-19

The above passage takes us back to the very beginning; where it all started, so to speak.

The book of Genesis tells us how all humanity fell from grace and broke relationship its creator. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world — and it brought with it a consequence; the curse.

Work existed before the fall but with the fall, the curse was thorns and thistles that would make man’s work unfruitful.

Thorns and Thistles in the Modern Economy

thorns and thistles in the modern economy

Jesus reached back to Genesis and used thorns and thistles as a metaphor in his parable of the sower.

Still others, like seed thrown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Mark 4:18-19

In this parable, he lists the:

  • worries of this life
  • deceitfulness of riches and
  • desires for other things

… as the thorns and thistles that choke the word of God in our hearts and make our Kingdom work unfruitful.

All of these thorns and thistles in Jesus parable can be wrapped up in the middle-class dream in which steadfast believers face the daily grind, working 40-60 hour weeks for the 30-40 most productive years of their lives, all in pursuit of a monthly paycheck.

The worries of this life, like making rent, putting food on the table, and planning for retirement are what drive people into the office each day.

The deceitfulness of riches — that innate belief that just a little more money will alleviate all the worries of this life — is what keeps people chained to their desks, working late at the office, putting in the extra hours and constantly chasing the next salary increase or promotion.

The desires for other things like a bigger house, a flashier car, or expensive holidays and lifestyles are what make people spend every penny they earn and then incur consumer-debt to buy the things they can’t quite afford yet. No matter; the next bonus, salary increase, or promotion will cover it. This increases the worries of this life and, so, the cycle continues.

In the end, the middle-class dream becomes a middle-class nightmare from which there appears to be no escape. Ultimately, it chokes the word of God in our hearts and makes us unfruitful. And so the curse in Genesis continues to bite, as by the sweat of our brows we eat our food until we return to the dust from which we were taken.

Not a cheerful picture.

Free From the Curse of Sin

However, the Bible tells us that Jesus came to set us free from the curse of sin! This is the good news of the gospel. Primarily, this means that, through his death and resurrection, he broke the power of sin and death, purchasing our forgiveness from sin, and paving the way for us to spend eternity with God in heaven.

However, that same power can set us free from the curse of sin in this life. This enables us to shake off those thorns and thistles that choke us, and allow God’s word to become fruitful in our hearts so that we, in turn, can be fruitful in his kingdom. Through the power of his spirit, we can root out the thorns and thistles that choke our hearts once and for all. I’m not saying it will be easy — but, through Christ, all things are possible.

First, we need to learn to be content with what we have. By learning contentment, we can shake off the desires for other things. We can stop spending with abandon every time our paycheck comes in. We can sell that expensive car and buy a cheaper one for cash, thus releasing ourselves from that crippling debt. If we find that we have overextended on our mortgage, we can rent out that expensive home, and perhaps move into a smaller place for a time to alleviate the pain of covering a mortgage we struggle to pay each month. In so doing, we can reduce our expenses and, by extension, our worries in this life.

Second, we need to stop deluding ourselves with the deceitfulness of riches. Instead of looking ahead to what we need to earn in the future, why not look back at what we earned five years ago versus what we earn right now. If just a little more money was the solution to our problems, then, in theory, most of us should have no problems right now, in light of the fact that we have earned more year-on-year over time. And yet, the plight of most middle-class families is no different today than it was five years ago. Our expenses always rise to meet our income, and then some! This is the deceitfulness of riches. When we understand this, we can begin to focus on being good stewards of what we have right now rather than constantly striving for just a little more.

As we do these two things, we will find that the worries of this life evaporate and we can focus on God’s word and his kingdom. In doing this, we are set free to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33) in our lives.

As we begin to spend our money as wise stewards of God’s riches in our lives, we will find that we are less focused on our paycheck and more focused on God and his purposes. When this happens, we realize that the thorns and thistles that choked our hearts are gone!

With the thorns and thistles rooted out of our lives, we are freed from this particular aspect of sin’s curse. Rather than being choked by the worries of this life, and eating food by the sweat of our brow, we can be fruitful in God’s kingdom… and there lies freedom.

A Kingdom-focused heart will overcome the thorns and thistles in our lives and make us fruitful. However, this means we need to be intentional about how we spend the money we earn. It requires stewardship and wise management to ensure that our lives remain Kingdom-focused.

How to Be Intentional in the Christian Walk

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Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

Luke 16:10-11

Luke 16:10-11 puts things in perspective; money is a little thing. In the face of eternity, it is insignificant. God’s purposes and His kingdom are the only items of real value in our Christian walk, both in this life and the life to come.

To be crystal clear, this verse noes NOT say, ‘if you have been trustworthy in handling a little money, then God will trust you with a lot of money.’

Rather, it asserts that, ‘if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth [no matter the amount], who will trust you with true riches [of God’s kingdom].‘

Knowing how to manage money is wisdom. Recognizing its worthlessness next to salvation and eternity is godliness

Rich Abba, Holy Abba

The amount of money is not relevant in this context. Point of fact; it does not matter whether we are entrusted with a small amount of money or a large amount. Whether we desperately poor or spectacularly wealthy — money is a little thing.

And the Bible challenges us to be honest and trustworthy in our management of that little thing, before we can ever be entrusted with the true riches of the kingdom, according to Luke 16:10-11.

Money is a Little Thing

money is a little thing

So what might this mean when we consider our lives before God?

True riches, in this context, will look different for each one of us, depending on what God has called us to do for his kingdom. For some, it might be full-time ministry. For others it might be work in the mission field, or it could be how we give to the kingdom to support the spread of the gospel. It may equate to short-term mission trips, or it might mean ministering to friends and neighbors in the local community.

The clue to being entrusted with the true riches of the Kingdom lies in the preceding verses (Luke 16:1-9). In those verses, Jesus tells the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. This is one of his more confusing parables and also one worthy of its own study.

However, in short, this parable advocates using our worldly wealth to win souls for Christ. It culminates in verse 9 which says,

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Luke 16:9

It’s sort of a ‘chicken and egg’ thing. When we actively use our earthly resources to build God’s kingdom, spread the gospel and win souls for Christ, God is entrusting us with the true riches of the kingdom. Money is a little thing but when we mismanage our finances, we are, by definition, not entrusted with the true riches. In kingdom terms, money can be wrongly gained or wrongly spent, and how we choose to earn and spend our money actively creates or denies us the opportunity to be entrusted with the true riches of God’s kingdom.

As such, the way to be entrusted with the true riches of God’s kingdom is to be intentional about how we manage our finances — and, by extension, to be intentional about crafting our lives around God’s kingdom and his purposes in our lives.

To me, this amounts to two things.

  • I want to earn in such a way that I have time to devote to seeking God’s kingdom and purposes in my life
  • I want to spend my money supporting God’s purposes and spreading the gospel;
    • by supporting the poor & winning souls
    • by supporting others in their service to the Lord or
    • by supporting myself as I serve the kingdom

In other words, given the choice between buying a bigger home with a tennis court and swimming pool, versus investing my earnings to produce a passive income — and free me to spend more time seeking God’s purposes in my life — I will choose the second option every time!

Or, when it comes to how I spend my money, when offered the choice to buy a luxury yacht, private jet, or simply an expensive new car…

… or giving to missionaries who devote their lives to sharing the gospel, I choose the missionaries.

By being intentional, in this way, about how we earn and spend our money, we can actively begin to build our lives around God’s kingdom — and before too long we realize that, through our choices, God has entrusted us with the true riches.

Ironically, if we can’t live intentionally right now, we will never achieve that future lifestyle to which we aspire.

How to Understand the Hidden Secret in Proverbs 12:11

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Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

Proverbs 12:11

One might take this verse to mean ‘those who work at their job will have abundant food’ — but I believe there is a subtle difference here.

In Bible times, land was an asset that could be put to work for the benefit of the land-owner. Common examples included vineyards, or fields in which crops could be planted and harvested year on year.

When you work a job, you are working someone else’s land.

For instance, when we head into the office each day we are like the laborers mentioned in many Old and New Testament passages. These people earned their day’s wage by working in the fields and barns of their employers — in other words, by working someone else’s land.

There is nothing wrong with this; most hard-working folk do this every day. However, we need to understand the difference if we truly want to reap the promise in this verse. We need to work our land!

Those Who Work Their Land Will Have Abundant Food

Those who work their land will have abundant food

In the modern context, land can include any number of different asset classes. The most common include equities like stocks and real-estate. But there are loads of other types of investment available to us today

So what should we do if we don’t have ‘land’ of our own? We should figure out how to use our wages as the means to an end. We need to set aside a portion of our income so that we can buy ‘land’ (i.e. income-producing assets) of our own. The promise in God’s word is that those who work their land will will have abundant food.

This is a sure-fire way to change our financial circumstances over time. And it is right there in the Bible! Building up an asset base and putting it to work takes discipline, effort and time. There are no shortcuts.

When we choose to believe otherwise, we are invariably chasing fantasies. And, as the proverb says, those who chase fantasies have no sense.

A Lesson on Diligence vs Laziness

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I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:30-34

Poverty Will Come Upon You Like a Thief

poverty will come on you like a thief - Proverbs 24:30-34

Many Christians in the modern age view the act of investing for capital gain as greedy. These sincere believers consider the acquisition and management of assets, like land — or a vineyard — little more than chasing after riches, which equates to the love of money.

Here is the bare truth; the writer of this proverb is hardly applauding this particular vineyard owner for being Godly. Instead, he calls this owner a sluggard, and one who has no sense.

This proverb illustrates a brutal truth. If we don’t manage our money wisely and tend our own vineyards, so to speak, poverty will come upon us like a thief.

Laziness comes in all sorts of shapes. For instance, it is quite conceivable that the sluggard in this proverb has been unable, or unwilling, to tend his vineyard because he is too busy busting his gut to earn a salary at his day-job.

Looking at my own life, I have never thought of myself as a lazy person. But here’s the rub. I often find myself so busy trying to earn a living that I simply don’t have the time or energy to tend to an investment portfolio — my vineyard. When I get home after a long, hard day at the office, the last thing I want to do is manage my stock portfolio or rental properties.

Then I am reminded of this proverb and it spurs me on. I am reminded that my ‘vineyard’ needs tending; otherwise, poverty will come upon me like a thief.

A Practical Lesson in the Power of Proverbs 12:11

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Today, I look back at my life and career choices that cost me dearly because I never understood the the power of Proverbs 12:11.

When I started out in my career as a software developer, I took an entry-level salary. This certainly helped pay the rent and put food on the table. I quickly progressed to a more senior role in a different company. Further promotions led to a directorship at a newly-formed company, owned by my existing employer.

I built the company up from a single employee (me) to a $1,000,000/year turnover with a team of developers and contractors managing the company’s growing client base… in return for which, I earned a $60,000/year salary. Sadly, when I resigned from that company, it was unable to continue in that vein. After I left, its income dropped, the developers I had trained and mentored moved on to other opportunities, and the company eventually closed its doors.

Some may look at the numbers above and consider my remuneration as unfair. I do not. I agreed a salary with my employers and they paid me the agreed wages every month. In the early days, they paid me what was legally owed, whether the company made any money or not, and they increased my salary as revenues grew. In other words, the business owners took the risks in the early stages and reaped their reward down the line, as annual turnover began to increase.

This is where the power of Proverbs 12:11 comes into play.

Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

Proverbs 12:11

The Power of Proverbs 12:11

the power of proverbs 12:11

Looking back, I now realize that I was not working my own land back then; I was working someone else’s land! The business owners were the ones who had abundant food. So, was I chasing fantasies instead? Well, I certainly wasn’t chasing after any get-rich-quick schemes. Nor was I wasting my money on lottery tickets or the latest Bitcoin fad.

The only ‘fantasy’ I clung to was job security. I built up and managed a $1,000,000 turnover business. However, I would never have dared try to do this for myself back then. I was far more content with my $60,000 salary and would never have dared risk losing that income for the potential profits that I was already generating for the very business in which I worked. For me, job security at $60,000/year was worth more than all the profits I was personally generating for that company.

However, the sad truth is this; if that company had failed, those same business owners would probably have made me redundant in a heartbeat and paid me a a tiny severance package that might cover three months’ salary, if I was lucky. I have seen this happen to countless peers and colleagues over the years. In that sense, job security is a fantasy that I chased, like so many of my peers.

Looking back, I now realize, I traded my financial freedom for a $60,000/year paycheck and the illusion of job security.

The Powerful Truth in This Ancient Bible Verse

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Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

Proverbs 12:11

For the past few years, I have been working my land as it were, and following the advice in this proverb. My ‘land’, in this context, is a growing rental property portfolio.

Currently comprised of three properties, this rental portfolio produces a small income over and above the income from my job. This has allowed me to give additional funds to support missionaries beyond my local church to ensure sustainable giving over time.

Having saved enough money to acquire a further two properties, and increase my portfolio to five, I cast my eye about for a new opportunity. However, the UK property market is on the rise and good investments have become harder to find.

Then an exciting opportunity presented. A block of flats with twenty-four apartments. Price tag? Five million dollars. My creative juices started flowing. I considered the possibility of Mezzanine finance — a second charge over the property — at a higher interest rate. This would raise my total funding to 90% of the purchase price. What if I could find private investors, and raise the remaining funds for this deposit?

My heart beat faster. I could increase my investment portfolio by orders of magnitude! My portfolio would leap from three to nearly thirty apartments in a single deal! How awesome would that be?

Then I remembered Proverbs 12:11 — but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

This may look like a fantastic opportunity. However, the reality is this; I don’t have the financial capacity to weather the storms I might encounter on an investment of this magnitude. What if I struggle to find tenants for these twenty-four apartments, even for a few short months? How would I cover the resulting expense out of my current portfolio of three properties? What if the building needs unexpected maintenance? Or what if the government passes their planned bill to make rental properties more eco-friendly?

The truth is, a single leap of such proportions is simply too big — and too risky. It is a fantasy. I might even find private investors to fund the deal but I know, in my heart, that I would be putting their money at undue risk. I would have a duty of care to any investors and I have not been doing this long enough to take on a block of that size.

Best-case scenario? At this point in my journey, such an investment opportunity might all come to nothing and simply waste a lot of my time and energy. I might find that I have spent weeks, or even months, talking to agents and finance brokers, preparing business plans and investment memorandums, meeting with potential investors and selling them on the concept — all very exciting — only to find that all my efforts come to naught.

For a start, any savvy investor would look at my current portfolio of three properties and ask the hard question. How will you keep my money safe in the event of any unexpected setbacks on such a big investment?

The truthful answer would be, ‘I can’t’

Worst-case scenario? Utter ruin and bankruptcy.

The biggest challenge is in the numbers. To jump from a portfolio of three to nearly thirty in a single leap is tantamount to building a skyscraper on a foundation of Lego blocks. With an inadequate foundation, every tiny gust of wind would strain the foundation to breaking-point. Even the smallest financial setback could bring the entire edifice crashing down. Those who chase fantasies have no sense.

Work Your Land

work your land

So what is the alternative? Work your land! Those who work their land will have abundant food

I’m not saying that we should never aspire to greatness in any shape or form. I may yet purchase this type of investment at some point in my journey. However, the right way to achieve that goal is to work my land. In other words, rather than chase after a fantasy, I should work on growing the portfolio of three properties I have right now. And, if I work my land, I might increase three properties to five over the next year or two — God-willing. Then, I can work on increasing my portfolio from five properties to ten. This may take a few more years. After that, I might spend another year or two — even three — building the portfolio from ten to twenty. Only then will I be in a position to realistically consider an investment of this size.

In all honesty, even a plan that aims to double my portfolio size every two years is fairly ambitious. But it is far more realistic than attempting to increase it by a factor of ten in a single transaction.

As I readjusted my goals and timelines, around a work your land mindset, God reminded me why I started building this portfolio. It is to serve His kingdom and purposes; not my own ambitions. It is to create an income stream that can fund missions and cover my salary in part or in full, so freeing me up to work as a Tent-Maker in God’s kingdom. And God has all the time in the world.

By working slowly and diligently, I am following the instruction in Proverbs 12:11; work your land. And therein lies the promise. Those who work their land will have abundant food.

Far better to follow the wisdom in God’s word and work your land, as the proverb says.

How to be Intentional at Work as Christian

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All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs 14:23

This post is inspired by chapter one of The Wise Man & the Fool. This is the first lesson that the characters learn in the parable-like story. In this lesson, both men did equally well. They were both hard workers and learned to earn an honest wage. The differences between the two men — the wise man and the foolish one — appear later in the book.

As I observe hard-working believers the world over, I find this to be a common truth. Almost all of the Christians I know are people with a good work ethic who understand the value of an honest day’s work. Yet many of those people still experience financial difficulty in their lives and find themselves living from paycheck to paycheck.

That does not negate the value of this verse; it is an essential starting-point in the journey out of financial difficulty.

That said, there is much to think about with respect to this verse. We need to consider it in the light of other verses. For instance,

The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town.

Ecclesiastes 10:15

At first glance, this verse appears to contradict Proverbs 14:23 and points to the futility of working tirelessly, day after day.

Then there are verses like,

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat — for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Psalm 127:1-2

This verse really speaks to me when I consider my career in the corporate world. I recall a time when I woke up at 05h00 each morning. I would leave the house at 06h00 and face a grueling one and a half hour commute into the office. This was followed by nine hours — or sometimes ten — of work and endless meetings that ranged from tedious to pointless, but for which I received my monthly wage. Then followed the commute back home for another one and a half hours, assuming there were no traffic incidents en route. I usually arrived home between 18h00 and 19h00 in the evening. And I did this for eight years.

It was exhausting.

During that period of my life, I gained a deep understanding of Psalm 127:2. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat.

Profitable Work vs the Toil of Fools

the toil of fools wearies them

So how should we equate these two polarized views of hard work in the Bible?

The clue lies in Proverbs 127:1; unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. We need to understand what ‘house’ the Lord is building in our lives and then get with the program.

The difference is intent. And intent goes to why we choose to work hard. If we are simply working hard to earn a living and pay bills, we are engaged in the toil of fools. On the other hand, when we are intentional about putting God first in our lives and seeking his kingdom, we can begin to build our job and the work we do around that goal. In this case, our work becomes a short-term means to a greater end; establishing God’s kingdom in our own lives and in the world around us.

As believers, we understand this truth with regards to the pursuit of riches. Don’t chase after wealth and riches, we tell ourselves; life is not all about making lots of money. But the same rule applies to how we make our living and pay the rent each month. If life isn’t all about making lots of money, it most certainly isn’t all about making ends meet. Where is God in either of those pursuits?

If life isn’t all about making lots of money, it most certainly isn’t all about making ends meet. Where is God in either of those pursuits?

So how can we break the cycle, and ensure that we are doing profitable work but not engaging in the toil of fools? The secret lies in finding work that creates, or offers us, the freedom to seek God’s kingdom in our lives. For me, a job that devoured most of my waking hours and all of my energy, leaving me with no time to seek God’s kingdom or understand his purposes in my life, was the toil of fools. It paid the bills but left me exhausted and unfulfilled. It also left me unable to spend time on the things that were most important to me; my family and my relationship with God.

The change required some tough choices on my part. I left that job and embarked on a new adventure. That choice drastically reduced my income. My wife and I had a tough year, financially, as we adjusted to the new normal and figured out how to navigate this new lifestyle. I had a lot less money, but I had so much more time and energy! It was both terrifying and invigorating.

I have heard it said that people should learn to work smart, not hard. I subscribe to this philosophy insofar as, to me, ‘smart’ means making choices that create the space — read time — for me to seek God’s kingdom and understand what that kingdom looks like in my life. But, I have to acknowledge, those choices were not always easy. They made for a bumpy ride, financially, as my income reduced in the short term and bills began mounting up. This forced me to look at my whole approach to income and expenditure in a new way. I had to break a raft of culturally-ingrained spending patterns, centered around the love of money, and learn to make better financial decisions with the money I earned.

Yes, we should work smart, not hard — but we need to work hard at working smart.

Ironically, two years on, I am in a place where I earn more money than I did in my previous job. Only, now I work from home for the most part. I have more time to read and meditate on God’s word, and to share his word with others. I have more time to spend with my family. I have more time to pray too but, I confess, this is an area in which I struggle; I remain a work in progress.

I am still very much walking this journey and, I guess, will continue walking it as long as I live. However, I have committed to making more intentional decisions about how I earn my income as well as how I spend my money. Those decisions aim to put God first, to seek the kingdom and to work on the house that God is building in my life rather than on the toil of fools. I have chosen a job that fits around that objective, rather than one that encroaches on it.

As a result, I feel more energized than I have in years past. This because, today, I experience the promise in Psalm 127:2; he grants sleep to those he loves. It does not mean that I am living a life of leisure, however; it merely equips me to live a life of service to his kingdom. And that has made all the difference.

How to End the Faith vs Finances Debate

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Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts — no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.

Matthew 10:9-10

I have been confronted with a fairly common question from believers. Should Christians invest in stocks? There are a lot of aspects to this question but one of the main debates goes to the question of faith. Many believe that such an investment undermines our faith in God as our trust should be in him, rather than in our investments, for our provision.

In some Christian circles, the argument goes that anyone who invests is a lover of money and is demonstrating a lack of faith by investing in assets like property or stocks. Their answer to the question —should Christians invest in stocks— is a resounding no!

Jesus instruction to the disciples in Matthew 10:9-10 is a common passage that Christians reach for whenever discussing the idea of investing for the future, versus faith in God. Jesus told his disciples to trust in the Lord for their provision. There was no need for them to plan for their the future, because God would work things out so that they would have all that they need.

However, there is something that we need to take note of when considering this passage. Jesus’ words to the disciples were specific to this journey. We see that by looking at his words to these same disciples in the following passage.

Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”

“Nothing,” they answered.

He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”

Luke 22:35-36

On this occasion, Jesus tells his disciples to provide for themselves in a more proactive way; by saving, buying, selling, and planning for the future. These were some of Jesus’ final words to his disciples, before he was arrested and crucified. They were his instructions on how we should carry out God’s mission after His death.

Two different journeys; two different instructions. We can’t take one verse and build a belief system around it without considering the other verse as well. After all, both instructions came from Jesus. He could not have been condemning the idea of investing, saving, and preparing for the future in Matthew 10, if he then instructed his disciples to actively engage in these activities at a later date.

Should Christians Invest in Stocks?

should christians invest in stocks

I would take this a step further. I find it strange that the same believers who rage against the idea of investing — on the grounds that it demonstrates a lack of faith — think nothing of waking up at the crack of dawn and commuting into work each day. There they will slave away at their jobs for eight to ten hours, before facing the reverse commute back home. And they will do this five to six days a week for forty to fifty years of their life… all to earn a paycheck at the end of each month!

If these believers are so sure that God will provide for them in their retirement, why not demonstrate that same faith with respect to their next paycheck? Why not simply quit their jobs and trust God for their monthly income, according to their interpretation of Matthew 10:9-10? The reason is simple; they recognize that to do so would be foolish, and it would put their income at risk. In so doing, they acknowledge that a level of pragmatism is needed. In this, they will get no judgment from me; they are exercising wisdom and protecting their income, while maintaining their faith in God. However, I will challenge the notion that investing for the future should, for some reason, be weighed using a different scale.

We can’t have it both ways. Investing for the future and working for immediate income are flip-sides of the same coin. Either both are wise — and sensible according to scripture — or neither is.

So, should Christians invest in stocks? I, for one, believe that we should invest for the future. Furthermore, I believe that there are sound Biblical reasons to do so. As long as we understand that we are not storing up treasure on earth in order to live a life of leisure. Rather, we should be doing this in order to build God’s kingdom. We do this by using the passive income generated from our investments to support us as we go about God’s business, as well as to support others in their service to God.

An investment portfolio might include property, stocks, commodities or any number of other asset classes. I am not here to tell believers which asset classes or, indeed, which stocks they should invest in. I will simply say that, from what I see in scripture, it is okay to do so and does not contravene God’s word, in principle.

How to Succeed Like the Proverbs 31 Woman

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Part X

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies….She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.

Proverbs 31:10,24

I have heard many sermons preached about the Proverbs 31 Wife, or Wife of Noble Character over the years. There are numerous blogs and even entire ministries built around this particular passage of scripture. These messages generally focus on the woman’s character and duties as a wife and mother; I don’t want to diminish that focus in any way. It is both valid and important.

However, there is a major aspect of the Proverbs 31 Woman that is widely glossed over, and even totally ignored. This relates to her business acumen and the way she manages her finances. Here are the facts. Of the twenty-two verses in the passage, seven are comments for the reader’s benefit or general praise from her husband and children (E.g. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her – vs28). While these are interesting, they don’t actively describe her character. The remaining fifteen verses focus explicitly on her character and actions.

Of the fifteen verses that actively describe her character and actions, only two actually focus on how she acts toward her husband. Another three focus on how she cares for her children and household….

And no less than six verses focus on how she conducts her financial life. How can we, in good conscience, read this passage about the ‘Ideal Godly Woman’ and simply disregard 40% of what the Bible tells us about her!

What the Bible Says About Money in Proverbs 31

what the bible says about money in proverbs 31

She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.

Proverbs 31:24

The preceding verses in this passage have already established that the Proverbs 31 Woman is more than a wife and homemaker. Lest there was any doubt, verse 24 slams that message home one more time.

We have seen that she buys raw materials for her business (vs 13). We have seen that she manages her employees (vs 15). We have seen how she invests her own earnings and manages her investments (vs 16). We have also seen how she labors tirelessly to make her business profitable (vs 18) and that she works alongside her employees on the factory floor (vs 19). Together, these verses offer valuable insight into what the Bible says about money and how we should manage it.

Now, in verse 24, we see that her business makes fine linen garments and sashes, which she sells to the merchants. The word ‘merchants’ is actually ‘Canaanites’ in the original Hebrew. In other words, the Phoenician merchants. Put in a slightly more modern context, this verse tells us that she manufactures high-quality fashion products and sells these to Phoenician merchants for export across the known world.

Girdles, in particular, were richly worked and highly valued. Good quality items would fetch a high price.

This verse is the culmination of the preceding ones. All the preceding verses that describe her various business activities are setting the foundation for verse 24. Together they paint the picture of a woman who — while managing her household duties, being a good wife and mother, serving her community and giving to the poor — is building a business that spans the supply chain and sells its wares for export to an international client-base.

And the Bible commends her for it. This is in stark contrast to many traditional Christian beliefs when it comes to what the Bible says about money. Perhaps this is why most studies of this passage either gloss over, or simply ignore these verses.

As I have stated previously in this series, I don’t believe that this takes away from any of the character traits and values that our Christian tradition usually chooses to hold up as the Biblical standard for the Ideal Godly Woman. All I am saying as that this verse and the five others mentioned in this post are right there alongside the ones that focus on her roles as a wife and mother. They are right there alongside the ones that focus on her wisdom and general work ethic…

… and together, these are the attributes that the Bible holds up as the character traits and actions that make her the Godly woman she is.

Verses like this show very clearly that what the Bible says about money cannot be distilled down to a Poor Good, Rich Bad mentality. Nor can we disregard financial matters as irrelevant in our Christian walk. I agree that our focus should always be first and foremost on God and his kingdom. However, we cannot ignore the financial aspects of our life when focusing on Godly character. Our view of money and the way we manage it are as much a part of who we are in relation to God as any other area of our lives — sometimes even more so.

A right view of money and how God wants us to manage it in our lives is essential to our success in this world and in God’s kingdom. The Bible offers a wealth of wisdom on this subject and we ignore verses like these, in Proverbs 31, at our peril — both in this life and the life to come.

Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God in this life — and how we manage our money will either lead us closer to, or further away from that goal.