Being Rich in this World and the Next

Although discussing wealth is taboo in many circles, I bet most of you would like to know how to be rich in this world and the next.

Have you ever wondered why we work so hard to accumulate our wealth? What is our ultimate purpose in working or being in business? What do we do with our wealth? I have contemplated these questions, having been a professional for over 40 years, running a large architectural firm for 37 of those years, and accumulating and distributing wealth to others.

Defining Wealth

A wealthy person is defined by much more than their financial balance sheet. Money is one aspect of wealth, but a truly wealthy person becomes wealthy through his giftedness to generate more. But to what end?

We will be held accountable for our accumulated wealth. For everyone to whom much is given, much will be required. Given this accountability, I think it is wise to use wealth to glorify God in accordance with His intended purposes and to seek eternal purposes. 

Some equate wealth with something less than what is holy. However, money itself is neutral and can be used for great benefit. Since God grants wealth in all its forms, He intends to use it to honor Himself. Accumulated wealth can help us if we realize our purpose in using it.

Please hear me: having a new car, a nice home, or a lake house is okay. Just remember why God gives the ability to generate wealth and what He wants to do with it. This means we are all stewards of what has been entrusted to us.

What Do We Do with Our Money?

We can spend it, save it, invest it, or give it away, but we have got to do something with our money. If we invest and make more money, we either have to reinvest it, spend it, or give it away. Having run a successful practice for many years, I had to examine my own heart to understand why I was doing this crazy hard work in the first place.

All Your Stuff Goes on the Curb

At the turn of the century, about 1910, my great-grandfather had a pump organ in his home on a farm near Lafayette, Indiana. It was a beautifully ornate pump organ where you would pump the pedals to play music. They did not have electricity at the farmhouse, and this was built to allow families to have music in their homes. The organ went to my grandfather and then to my mother, who passed it down to me. This organ sat beautifully in our home in various locations over the past 30 years. People would comment on how beautifully unusual it was.

But my wife, Marydel, and I decided it was time to simplify and get rid of some of our stuff. So we did the next logical thing: We asked our kids if they wanted the organ. “No!” Then, we asked our extended family if they wanted it. “Well, no!” 

Then, I became concerned and contacted numerous museums, historical societies, and even the Dallas Old City Park. Nobody seemed to want an old pump organ, although it was in perfect condition, beautifully adorned, and lovingly cared for. I went online and looked up old organs to see their value. To my surprise, the value was stated, “Most old pump organs end up in landfills.” I ended up putting it outside on the curb. A week later, the big trash truck came by with the claw, crushing it and putting it in the back. That hurt. Things that seem so valuable to us, even those worth handing down, will likely end up on the curb and in a landfill. Think about that when it comes to your possessions.

Entrusting Wealth to Others

Why entrust your wealth to others? I have contemplated why I work so hard, save, pay taxes, and then entrust my wealth to others to spend. Sometimes, it just does not make sense. How do we successfully transfer our assets to others so they will be well used?

This has been a dilemma for me for most of my adult life. My philosophy is that if others can spend my money better than I can in what they do, then I would be a fool not to give it to them. But is simply giving money away a good thing?

Converting Assets into Kingdom Currency

How do I convert earthly assets into Kingdom currency? By taking earthly assets and using them for eternal purposes. Kingdom currency is the attitude and action of faithful men and women. This faithful stewardship of God’s assets will require us to use our resources, talents, giftedness, and indeed our essence while on earth. Kingdom currency is our work to build God’s Kingdom on earth and exchange earthly assets for things that will last for eternity. It is the faithful stewardship of entrusted assets.

In any economic system, assets are valuable items that can be converted into a common currency for transfer, exchange, or redemption. Although I might have a wealth of assets, they are forever unavailable to me unless I unlock them by converting them into something usable.

Similarly, earthly wealth has to be converted to a tradeable currency that can be used for eternity to help promote God’s goodness on earth. This can be simply feeding those who are hungry, taking care of the homeless, sharing a good word with someone who is discouraged, providing for relatives, or taking care of elderly parents. It can also be entrusting money to others who can do much more with your money than you.

Let me illustrate. Marydel and I once purchased a farm in Africa. The 1,800 acres we purchased through a local Zambian were used to provide agricultural products, honey bees, and cattle, all benefiting the poor. We used this farm to generate income that could take care of God’s poor by providing employment and goods. The money we used to purchase the farm became kingdom currency when it took care of those who could not care for themselves; it was our attitude and action as stewards. Why did we do this? Because Jesus once told a young man that if he wanted his treasures in heaven, he should give to the poor.

Investing Using Economic Engines

I like to invest more than simply give away money. I invest in things that create sustainable economic engines, employ people, produce good for the culture, and eventually help the poor within that society. Economic engines are similar to real engines that provide power and maximize human effort. They provide assets and profit to benefit others. We build economic engines through relational investing with friends.

I find it frustrating to give money to not-for-profit organizations that do not have the intensity of hard work that I did to make it. I also find it frustrating to see money deployed inefficiently. I do not want to feel like an ATM to not-for-profits that waste money. I find it just as hard to successfully give money to not-for-profit organizations to use wisely as it was for me to make money.

Instead of only giving money away, I want partners who will take good care of money. So, how do we find faithful men and women to entrust? It comes through relationships, which evolve into partnerships, which later become trusted friendships. Once we become friends in a shared activity, we can accomplish a lot.

The Privilege to Have Wealth

It is an incredible privilege to have wealth. It is a gift from God. If we think we are self-made men and women, I think we deceive ourselves. Although we work hard, it is truly God who grants us our ability to generate wealth and keep it. If I wanted to start a computer company in my garage, I do not think I would ever become Steve Jobs. God in His divine will blessed Jobs with great wealth and success, not necessarily his talents. And in turn, society has been blessed through his efforts.

The amount of money is not an issue when it comes to wealth. We all must admit that we are wealthy in some regard. No, we do not have as much wealth as others, but we all have been given assets to use. Do you recall in the Bible when the widow in the temple gave two small coins when Jesus watched without her knowledge? He said she gave more than all the rest because she gave her all. No one could have given more!

Be generous – but that’s not the goal. The goal is to use everything wisely so that others may flourish around you. True righteousness in society requires men and women to help others. Look upon wealth as a wonderful tool to be ambassadors of righteousness in the world.

We must do something with our money. Our things on this earth will all end up on the curb someday. The $20s in our pockets will not help us once we arrive in heaven, so convert them into kingdom currency before we go, just as we would at the currency exchange counter at the airport before we go overseas.

And remember, wealth in the hands of a good steward is a mighty, powerful thing.