Day 17 – You and your Wealth: Vision Planning

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”

Matthew 25:23

Wealth is a reward

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 teaches us that God expects us to be faithful stewards over whatever resources He has given us. Furthermore, Deuteronomy 8:18 states that God gives us power to get wealth.
So, wealth is seen as a reward for faithful stewardship of resources and obedience to God. As Christians we should all be faithful in managing our resources and obedient to God, meaning wealth should be our reward. 

The beginning of Proverbs 13:22 reminds us that good people leave an inheritance for at least 2 generations after them. How can we do that if we don’t have wealth ourselves? Of course it isn’t just money that our descendants should inherit, it is also generational wisdom. 

The end of Proverbs 13:22 states that the wealth of the sinners is stored up for the righteous. So, if we are righteous, why are we not accessing the stored wealth? Is it because we are like the man with the 1 talent in the parable who was too afraid to lose his talent and therefore did nothing with it but bury it? That man did not please his master one bit. In contrast, the master was so mad at him for not taking a risk and making more talents, that he took the one talent away from the man and gave it to the one who had made five more talents. Wouldn’t we rather be the man with the 10 talents? He started of with 5 and made 5 more and the praise in Matthew 25:23 is directed at him.
We should be aiming to enter into our master, Jesus Christ’s joy, because we have made the most with what was given to us. 

A Prayer To Get You Started

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word that reminds me that you give wealth as a reward. I want to be a good and faithful servant in seeing your Kingdom come and your will being done. Whatever talents you have entrusted me with, please give me the wisdom to manage them wisely and multiply them. I pray that fear or ignorance will not make me do nothing. I want to leave an inheritance for my children’s children and for that I need to learn how to use my wealth well. Help me to be obedient to your instructions to me. 

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen.

Food For Thought

What do we need to consider when making plans related to our wealth? Here are some options:

Time: We all have the same amount of time to use in a day, but we see repeatedly that those who are financially wealthy know how to make the most of their time. The Bible also tells us to be wise with how we use our time (cp. Ephesians 5:16 and Proverbs 6:6-11). 

Money: This is the most obvious understanding of wealth. Think about how you can learn to manage it well, which includes investing, saving, spending or sharing it. You may also be called to generate more money.

Education: This is the learning you have access to which can either be structured such as learning in a school, university or online course, or unstructured through self directed learning. Not everyone in the world has access to education so it is a sign of wealth we should never take for granted.

Influence: Some people just have a way with people. They are held in high regard and have a wide network of people who are eager to listen to them, help them or take their advice. This is also a type of wealth because your relationships become the resources that help achieve your objectives. 

Ideas: These are the things you come up with that not many others do. It could be an idea for a book or film or a business or a service. This is wealth in seed form that you can plant in the correct environment and watch grow.

In Summary

In the Bible, wealth is seen as a reward for faithful stewardship of resources and obedience to God. As the parable of the talents shows us, God wants us to make the most of what we have been given for His glory. The wealth of sinners is stored up for those who are righteous and we need to ask God for wisdom on how to access it. We can do this by better managing our time, money, education, influence and ideas.

Questions to ask yourself

1. Are you managing your time well? If not, how can you start?
2. What money do you already have? How can you make it grow?
3. What do you need to be educated in to manage your money better?
4. Do you have influence? Where most? Why do you think that is?
5. What original ideas have you got that you can develop into a money making opportunity? 
6. What inheritance are you currently leaving for your children and grandchildren? 

SMART Goal Setting

Write one or more SMART goals that will help you realise God’s vision for this domain. Remember, a SMART goal is one that is:

S pecific: so you have something to focus on. 

M easurable: success is a measure of “how much” “how many” or “when” a goal is reached

A chievable: you can only reach a goal if it is realistic and success is possible. 

R elevant: the goal needs to be worth pursuing so you feel encouraged to accomplish it.

T ime bound: you can’t measure or achieve success if there is no end point

Further Reading

Proverbs 21:5 points out that abundance is ours if we are diligent in our plans
1 Timothy 6:17-19  encourages us not to be proud with our wealth but to be generous and ready to share
Luke 14:28-32 reminds us of the necessity to weigh up the cost before we go about any venture

Up Next

Tomorrow we review You and your Wealth: Sustainable Success.

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