What the Bible says about Wealth

Lifestyle Religion, Spiritualism & Philosophy
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What the Bible says about wealth

With estimated sales of over 5 billion copies and some estimated annual sales of over 100 million copies, the Bible remains one of the best-selling books in the world.

Many people seek for spiritual and inspirational truths from the Bible. Are you aware what the Bible can offer? The Bible is one of the most practical book ever written. If you study the Bible carefully, you will realize that it relates to almost every area of our life. Money and material possession are not an exemption.

Have you ever stopped and wondered what the Bible says about wealth? The Bible features a lot about wealth and poverty, what makes us rich or poor. The Bible explains, through stories and parables the importance of giving, the necessity of receiving and it even gives you tips on your journey to prosperity.

To understand what the Bible says about wealth, ask yourself the following questions:

  1.  What is your worth according to the Bible?

  2.  What is the worth of money in your life?

  3.  Does money affect your faith and trust in God?

  4.  What are your sources of wealth?

  5.  Do you work? How do you create your wealth?

  6.  What does the Bible say about Wealth and debts?

Let’s start by exploring the first question;

1. What is your worth?

Your worth is what you remain with after you have deducted all your debts and amounts owed from your assets. But God views your worth as you overall prosperity. God does not consider your numerical riches (money or assets) as your net worth. In God’s eye, you are beyond any measurement and cannot be associated with any value (See John 3:16)

If you accept Christ and receive God’s forgiveness for your sins, then you are worthy in God’s eyes. This isn’t the case for non-believers. In summary, to God, your net worth relates to the spiritual soundness of your entire life.

God does not see money as filthy. Money itself is neutral in His eyes. It’s what we do with our money that matters to God. That we deal with our finances in purity, governed by right motives.

  1.  [B]What is the worth of money in your life?[/B]

Is it godlier to be poor or to be rich? How should Christian place money in their life?

How much money should a Christian have and remain spiritually minded? These are common questions when discussing money, material wealth, and Christianity.

Many believe that you cannot combine money and spirituality.

The Beatitudes support this concept: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Mathew 5:3. Many have assumed that ‘poor’ here means financial poverty.

We all know that this is not the case. God doesn’t stop speaking to the wealthy. God listen to everyone, irrespective of their financial capacity. It should be clarified that Jesus meant the poor in spirit, not poor in finances.

There are four positions that people hold towards money and material gain: Idolatry, envy, greed, and Neutrality.

Idolatry – to some people money become central to their life; they worship money. And thus, spend most of their time energy on its acquisition and use. How much time do you spend shopping, on the ATM in comparison to the time you spend in prayer?

Envy – most people don’t admit to being envious. They believe that those who are wealthy and prosperous have received it through ungodly ways. That is rarely the case. Most people have worked hard to get their wealth. People invest time and money astutely or have inherited their money. The Bible advice us to take care of the poor and provide for them, but the poor always assumed in the Scriptures to be those who are incapable of taking care of themselves.

Greed – Idolatry, and envy can result into greed. This is the insatiable need for more.

The greedy person believes that if God loves him, He will give him everything he desires. There is no limit to what a greedy person desires.

Neutrality – we should realize that money can buy social evils like drugs, but at the same time, it can purchase a Bible for someone to read.

  1.  [B]What does the Bible say about your money and your faith?[/B]

The Bible clearly brings out the relation between one’s spirituality and money. How you handle money will show your relationship with God. The ungodly people do not care about the natural world; they spend most of the time thinking of how they will use the world to make money.

In the book of Revelation, we see that the end times has been clearly described as a period where the humans will be very materialistic. Revelation 18:9-19

Let me be clear, concern and pursuit for material wealth doesn’t make one ungodly. But if one is immersed into the search of material wealth that he forgets the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, it becomes ungodly.

The Lord wants us to grow in every area of our lives. God wants us to balance Spiritual well-being, emotional being, socialization and also the accumulation of materials. We should strive to strike a balance.

When we abandon our God-given gifts, we displease God. He is not displeased that we are accumulating wealth. God will be displeased when we gain wealth at the expense of other areas of our life.

Jesus uses the parable to explain this concept:

“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with [the queen of Babylon] will weep and lament for thy when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of thy torment, saying, “Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.” – Revelation 18:9 – 19

The ‘talent’ in this parable is the money, not skills. Why should Jesus talk about money here?

It’s important to note that all the riches and talent comes from the Lord. He gave us the talents for free so that we can use them and be blessed and be a blessing to others. If you are sitting back today and not utilizing all the talents God gave you, you are limiting Gods Blessings to your life.

The person who desires to be prosperous lives in such a way that the promises of God are available to him. The person who seeks only riches is someone to whom the fullness of God’s promise does not apply. If you pursue prosperity, you will avail yourself to God. There is no limit to the amount of growth and blessing that you will get.

4. What are your sources of wealth?

We cannot understand what the Bible says about wealth without knowing where we get our wealth. By wealth I mean both spiritual wealth, material wealth, and posterity.

In Proverbs 11:28, the Bible says, “He who trust in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.”

Spiritual wealth is lasting and so is prosperity. Riches can be wiped away in a day.

This brings us to the difference between needs and desires. What should one do to receive the Lord’s favor? The Lord God is a good Lord, always giving, always loving and is generous to all mankind. The Bible shows God’s blessing to his people.

God gave us equal opportunity. If you limit yourself to your ability and resources, you will run out of both ability and resources quickly. When you trust the Lord to provide, you will never lack a thing. God’s resources cannot be depleted. Thus, we should seek for wealth from God. The very nature of God will re-assure you. God is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent.

Remember, wealth is not a sign of favor from God. The old testament verses indicated that poverty is a natural consequence of foolish actions (Proverbs 6:9-11, 20:13, 23:21).

5. What does the Bible say about wealth and work?

Work.

The Bible is clear about work. What should I do to create wealth?

In a view to creating wealth, the Bible says we should seek God’s blessing in our day to day work. Work is God’s divine plan to prosper us.

The Bible says that ” Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gather by labor will increase.” - Proverb 13:11. That is what the Bible says about creating wealth. You need to work to create wealth.

God requires that we work, and others will compensate us for our efforts. In 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12, Paul speaks to the Thessalonians because he wished that they could multiply their yield.

Look at the story of Joseph, Ishmaelites took him to Egypt, where Potiphar bought him as a slave. Even as a slave:

“The Lord was with Joseph, and thou was a successful man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. The master saw that the Lord was with thine and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in thy sight and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had, he put under his authority. So it was, from when that he had made him overseer of his house and belongings, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had. Thus he left all in Joseph’s hand.” —Genesis 39:2–6

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  1. What does the Bible say about wealth and Debts?

The Bible leaves clearly talks about God’s opinion towards Debts. These two verses illustrate;

“Owen no one anything, apart from to love one another, for he who loves one another has fulfilled the law” - Roman 13:8

[B]

“The Rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender.” – Proverbs 22:7
[/B]

God doesn’t want his people to be in debt. In the Bible, we find mournful outcry from God’s people:

“There were also some who uttered, “We have leased our lands and vineyards and houses, which we will buy grain because of the famine situation.” There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. Now the flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our children to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to regain them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.” – Nehemiah 5:3-5

People get into unnecessary debts because they buy things that they cannot afford. A credit card is bad for your finances and should be avoided at all cost. When we buy things that we cannot afford, we are telling God, that we need that thing more than to be free of debts.

We tend to go for things that will give us identity and state of well-being rather than things that will connect us to God. Debts are as a result of unwise investment decisions.

God promise to you is that He will give you insight, answers and show you direction. The Bible indicates, if anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God with faith. A few people turn to God to ask Him for His advice on investments, new ventures, and purchases. You should seek God’s advice before entering into partnership or any financial commitment. The Bible is clear about this. God sees, and He knows what is best for us now and in future.

It’s far easier to stay out of debt. All you need is to decide that you’re going to follow God’s financial plan and that you are not going to be swayed to borrow or buy what you cannot afford.

When you are in debt, repayment of the debt becomes your main concern. That way, you will not be available to serve God. You should endeavor to pay your debts. Never walk away from debts. Psalm 37:21 says that the bad people borrow and do not repay, but the righteous show mercy and gives.

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Thank you…clear, Insightful and elaborate.

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@justus uko wapi

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invest debt and gain intrest…Bible things are anti biashara