Build Wealth With Godly Wisdom
Here is some ancient wisdom for building wealth:
Money often drives human behavior.
The promise of making a lot of money with a small amount of effort is a tactic that’s as old as time. It doesn’t take long to scroll online until you come across someone selling the “secret” that no one else knows about.
It goes something like this: “I make $10k per month by working two hours per week. Buy my course to find out how.”
Don’t fall for it.
Unfortunately, some similar tactics have been used in the church. Over the years, I’ve heard more than one TV preacher say something like, “Send us a financial gift, and I promise you, God will bless you a hundredfold. A transfer of wealth is coming your way.” It’s a twist of the sowing and reaping principle that promises a quick, abundant financial blessing for a seed offering (here’s the biblical principle on what it means to be the salt and light of the world).
The danger is that it promotes giving with ulterior motives of selfish ambition — giving a little to get much in return.
The good news is that Scripture addresses how to build wealth. Listen to the ancient wisdom of Proverbs:
“Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time” (Proverbs 13:11).
Wealth from hard work grows over time.
When I was a teenager, one of the first questions my grandpa would ask me with a wink and a smile was, “Are you dating anyone?”
My response was the same sheepish no, but then he would always drop this line, “Good things come to those who wait.”
To this day, I’m still unsure if he came up with that on his own or borrowed it from the Heinz ketchup commercial in the 80s.
He practiced the proverb. Without more than an 8th-grade education, he worked hard as a farmer, was able to purchase a lot of land, learned to manage money wisely while living simply, honored the Lord, loved his family, was involved in his church, and his wealth grew over time; but it was more than money that he passed on to his children.
One definition of wealth is “an abundance of valuable content that can be exchanged or given.”
His example of being faithful to the Lord and following God’s Word for decades influenced future generations to do the same. I am one of the beneficiaries (here’s how God can give you wisdom for financial peace).
If patience is a virtue, impatience is a vice.
There is a reason Proverbs warns us that money from get-rich-quick schemes quickly leads to it disappearing. Walking the impatient path removes the moat of protection around your life called wise decision-making.
Delayed gratification should be a required education in elementary school.
One of the best ways to learn patience is to get to know people who have lived this way for decades.
I love listening to people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who have remained faithful to Jesus in every stage of life — in the mountains and valleys. They are content, whether they had a lot or a little. These people have a wealth of knowledge, life experience, and knowledge of what’s most important in life, like treasure chests waiting to be discovered.
Reach out to them, ask questions, and listen.
When it comes to building wealth — think slowly.
More importantly, when building anything of value — be faithful with what you have right where you are. Over time, you will have something great to pass on to future generations.