Wealth for Kingdom Building–IV

Last time, we left off with Jesus saying give it all away, and Paul saying to use our wealth for good.

Today, we check in with the Bible to see how we–as Christ-like Christians–can follow the teachings of the Bible to honor God with our wealth. Remember the three key points from the first day of this reading plan?

1. God Gives the Ability to Create Wealth

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. – Deuteronomy 8:18

2. Whatever Wealth We May Create Belongs to God

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. – Psalm 24:1

3. Glorify God in All We Do

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

Jesus says give it all away; Paul says use it to help the poor and the over-arching message given by God throughout the Bible is to glorify Him.

So… whether you ascribe to the “Quadruple Bottom Line” metrics or some other form of impact investing, the key distinctive of any Christian with wealth is to deploy it in a way that glorifies God. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Bible never commands us to seek a return on any investment we might make; rather we are encouraged just to give. Just as the farmer in the Old Testament left the edges of his field for gleaning by the poor, we too need to be generous to the poor in our city, our country, our world.

This can be done by straight-out giving, or by lifting up our neighbor with seed capital for anything from skills training to small business launch. You are responsible only to act out of love.

Even if you cannot see any “financial soundness” in helping others, do it anyway. Your call is to be obedient in this, not to ensure success of the other or any sort of financial return. That portion is up to God, not you–so just step out and get busy with helping others!

Remember this–if you were to stand before God tomorrow, the only measure of a successful return on investment is on a spiritual basis, not a numbers perspective. That much seems obvious, right? Now, extend that line of thinking and you end up exactly with what Jesus was teaching–give it all away!

One final thought may go through your head as you digest this–what about my legacy? Don’t I need to leave it for my kids, or other good causes? The answer to that is pretty simple–yes and no.

Yes, each of us have a responsibility to care for our family with worldly goods, but not to the point of financial riches. Our calling is rather to leave a Spiritual Legacy–and what better way to do that than to NOT conform to the ways of this world, instead striving to be Christ-like in all aspects of our life, including that of managing worldly wealth.

May God bless you and use you to draw others closer to Him through your example as a kingdom builder!

Amen & Amen!

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This reading plan has been in part abstracted from the book "Toolbox Devotions for the Faith-Driven Entrepreneur," and we hope it helps clarify God’s plan for management of your money and wealth. As follow-up we recommend you visit our website or search for other plans authored by "Roland Heersink" in the YouVersion app. Or, if you're really motivated to help others, google "Christian Business Angels" to see how you might boost your kingdom-building investments!