Money.

momentsofnicole · 2021-01-31T13:18:33+00:00

I'm from a really wealthy area and a few of my parents' friends are CEOs/Presidents and such. They definitely donate their money to worthy causes. My parents keep their large house partially because it had been and will continue to be used for ministries.

I had one friend mention how in her church the wealthy people saw it as their duty to use it to sponsor missionaries.

The Bible Project did an excellent podcast on Money. It really addresses pretty much any concern you might have on building wealth and sharing it. bibleproject (dot ) com/podcast/story-god-money/

I'm guessing your church doesn't have the Dave Ramsey finance classes. Step 7 of the 7 Baby Steps is to literally build wealth and give generously.

Your retort to the elders could be that you want to build on your Talents. The wicked servant was the one who DIDN'T build wealth for his Master. Not to say that we should all be focused on only building wealth. We should definitely be building up the Kingdom in our own ways. If you have a talent in building wealth, then use it to build the Kingdom.

The Body is built of many parts. Some people are gifted in leadership, others hospitality, teaching. Making money should definitely be considered a gift.

I recommend if you are able to build wealth as you wish to pray on every purchase. Will certain clothes build the Kingdom ($500 jeans for a Pastor?)? Should I buy a big SUV? How will use each purchase in order to further your goals?

You already have the right mentality of seeing money as a tool. The love of money is the root of many (not all) evils. Do you love your hammer? Probably not. Do you take care of your hammer? Yes. Does that mean you love your hammer? No.

Apologies for mobile formatting and ADHD.

rocknrollchuck · 2021-01-31T05:27:42+00:00

Many people think they can handle wealth - few actually can.

Proverbs 30:8-9

Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches—Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.

coachdad8 · 2021-01-31T13:21:21+00:00

I've started and sold several businesses. As a serial entrepreneur, I am involved in entrepreneurship philanthropy groups composed of mostly young millionaires. The men are generous with their wealth and it becomes a competition to see who can help more people. Wealthy people have the financial freedom to help others. Middle class men rarely have the means or the time to help in scale. They can however use their limited wealth in a God-pleasing way.

I use the wealth generated from my businesses to fund our missionary work. Our family are full-time missionaries to our local community and unlike other missionaries, we don't need outside funding. We're also in a position financially to help our church members, our family, and really any person that has needs within reason. I allocate a large portion of our wealth to investments which have paid off handsomely over the years. I believe all my money is God's money and therefore see purchases in the context of furthering my mission to make disciples.

I have never focused on making money, instead focusing on building something of value and the money comes as a result. If you can do a job or task well, better than other people, you might get wealthy. There is such a lack of excellence that a person who excels at their job stands out. Also, some men are excellent at their jobs and earn well, but their lifestyle squanders it quickly. I see the bar tabs from my peers. I see the outrageous cars they drive and the mega mansions they buy. They can drop $50k on a week's vacation and when an investment opportunity arises, they have zero liquidity. These mistakes compound over time to make you a slave to your job instead of having freedom to pursue your mission.

Spend your time creating value in the world. You might make millions or you might not as that's entirely up to God. But if you pursue your mission using whatever financial means God has decided to bless you with, you will be happy and pleasing to God. Miserable people don't get less miserable with more money and happy people don't get less happy with less in my experience.

Deep_Strength · 2021-01-31T06:51:35+00:00

Luke 16:10 “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true wealth to you? 12 And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

If you're not generous and stewarding your money well even when you make a little then you won't be a good steward if you had riches.

CashSplash123 · 2021-01-31T05:17:15+00:00

Why do you want to become wealthy?

You can lie to yourself but you can’t convince me it’s bc you want to be a benevolent benefactor for poor people and failing businesses.

Money is freedom for me so I work hard to attain it. But it’s not my goal to become wealthy. My goal is to be self sufficient and put myself in a position that I can support my spiritual goals. If I become wealthy, it’s a blessing but it’s not my goal. In fact it’s probably better to not be rich bc it could be a stumbling block for me if I become addicted to it.

People picture worshipping as getting on you knees and pouring out heartfelt devotion to whatever higher being they believe in. To me, worshipping is an action fueled by a belief that becomes the purpose and reason for doing the things you do. You can worship God by reading the Bible, praying, and discipling. Those are all actions that are fueled by your belief of God.

You can worship money by using your time to pursue monetary goals on earth, and use your opportunity costs to forsake your relationships and duties as a Christian.

You can’t worship money and God. Chose one.

The heart is a wicked deceiver and don’t try to convince yourself that you understand how you will be. Don’t be wise in your own eyes.

monkmodeimprove · 2021-01-31T16:33:21+00:00

There are things that I want like my own house & land, a sports car, and money to do things I enjoy such as sporting events and martial arts gyms, even normal gyms. Another thing I want to be is a father. Idk if I would adopt but obviously don’t want women troubles.As long as I have purpose and enjoy what I do and can have fun experiences with my kid, I think that’s all the wealth I want.

metal_and_fire · 2021-01-31T06:34:08+00:00

Wealth (even modest wealth) is a snare that will change you in ways you never thought possible. Speaking from experience, the more you have the more you will want and the more painful it will be to give away.

I'm not saying don't pursue it. You should absolutely make yourself as valuable as possible in the work world. If the opportunity for more wealth appears, take it. But if it doesn't, be content with what you've been given. And always be generous no matter your salary. If you aren't generous now, you won't be generous later.

Remember, even if you become the next Bill Gates and donate billions of dollars to the needy around the world, in God's eyes there is still someone more generous than you:

"And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” - Mark 12:41-44

-NotaBene · 2021-01-31T18:22:33+00:00

I'm 40 and have always kept my income right near the poverty level, on purpose. I have everything I need, I can usually buy what I want, and I'm so thankful to God for what I have.

There is pride on both sides. The ascetic can boast about how he needs nothing, the rich man can forget God easily. I like the middle road.

Make it a practice to give thanks every day and you will find your perspective changing over time. For instance, when people compare themselves to others they often fall short and feel like whining. But I know that just by owning a home and car I'm in the top 95% of the world's wealth. I'm already rich. It just depends on who you compare yourself to.

It also changes your perspective on work. In a good year I work about 10 hours a week. To some this is lazy but I have lots of hobbies and spend more time with my family than most men. I work for myself, I'm not a corporate slave.

Beware about money as a goal in itself. Having a skill that you master, that's great, but if you master that skill in order to be rich you are just setting yourself up for misery.

Incidentally, the Bible never condemns you for wanting wealth. Just like it does not condemn you for wanting sex or power. What it does do is bend your desires and shift your perspective slightly to reflect eternal reality. For instance: "Store up treasures for yourselves..." is appealing to your desire for wealth. Many many promises in the Bible do this exact thing, and if you learn to see it you will see them everywhere. Wanting wealth is not bad, but seeking dollars for the sake of dollars is an exercise in futility and will not help you in the long run.

BanMan503 · 2021-01-31T22:54:45+00:00

Hello

I think you should read the four gospels.

There you will find the things that Jesus taught. You can start with the Sermon on the Mount which you can find in Matthew chapters 5-7.

Pay close attention though to what Jesus says in regard to working for both God and mammon (wealth). You will come across it in Matthew 6:24.

If you're busy and don't have time to read then I recommend you watch this.

iWillNotLetYouGo · 2021-02-01T02:26:39+00:00

It is good to desire to be wealthy so that you can give charity

ofblankverse · 2021-03-01T18:26:13+00:00

I imagine myself being selfless with my blessings and being able to give to people/businesses in need.

This is ego. Imagining yourself as the benevolent giver. Drive and ambition to generate wealth, so you can be oh so generous, is still drive and ambition for worldly things.

If you're really being totally honest with yourself, there's an almost 0% chance that you don't also want something like security, or self-worth, or social standing from that money as well. "For the love of money is the root of all evil". You can bet that if you're striving for money, there is an evil reason in there, for sure.

Some of the most disgusting men in the world donate the most money to charity.

So... "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

You may acquire wealth in the process, and you may then be called to do the right thing with it. But that's later. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof".

Dreaming about being Mr. Generous is not going to keep you on God's path. You'll end up rich and spending it on stupid things, donating it to stupid causes, and wasting it in general, all the while marveling at how beautifully generous and wise you are. It's a naive a fantasy to think that you have what it takes to be a benevolent philanthropist. In fact, thinking you could do that is almost proof that you could not.

jrdnfrnkln1 · 2021-01-31T07:16:11+00:00

[deleted]

jrdnfrnkln1 · 2021-01-31T14:07:22+00:00

[deleted]

Title	Money.
Author	jrdnfrnkln1
Upvotes	18
Comments	38
Date	January 31, 2021 4:55 AM UTC (3 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/RPChristians
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/RPChristians/comments/l94yb2/money/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/RPChristians/money.738601 https://theredarchive.com/post/738601