Toyin Taiwo | Thoughts on Money (2)

Money can be thought of as a reward – a due compensation for work done, service rendered or value added. This is the foundation for the concept of money among human beings. We know money was originally created as a uniform instrument to exchange goods or to compensate for value added. Hence, we cannot expect to get money except we give reasonable value in return. In a just and fair system, money is a reward that comes to those who create value. And the quantity of money increases with the significance or impact of the value. Value creation is often the product of a powerful idea – an idea that meets a need, improves the quality of human life, or fills a gap in the “market-place”. Therefore, one secret to creating lasting wealth is to mine deep and locate one idea whose impact will command the attention of other people’s resources continuously…

Money can also be regarded as a trust – something that is given to one for safeguarding, value-add, and proper administration as at when due. This is a key money ideology for children of God. There is nothing that we have that we have not received, and every believer will give an account to God for every resource that comes through their hands. Hence, believers are stewards – not only in relation to money – but also in relation to other resources God has committed unto us, such as time, energy, people, relationships, knowledge, property and so on. It is this attitude towards money that helps us not to spend it all on our own selfish desires but teaches us to administer it appropriately – give some, save some, invest some, spend some and waste none. If we realize that God will demand an account of our stewardship, we will treat money as a trust – even planning for future generations after us.

Another money ideology is that of a seed – a glorious and powerful future encapsulated in a tiny present. This is a principal money ideology for entrepreneurs and business persons. Business people know that every kobo you can gather is powerful because of what it can become over the course of time. This is what gives rise to the strategy adopted by publicly quoted companies to raise money from the public by selling part of their ownership right. The greater gain from funds invested in such companies is the growth in the money over time – dividends are a secondary gain. Hence, those who will build true and lasting wealth understand that money is a seed – it must be planted…

One more way to think of money is a gift – the result of favour or kindness of another person. While this is not a principal money ideology, money can be thought of as a gift from God to give someone a jumpstart, remind another of His kindness, fulfill a promise to yet another and sustain the under-privileged. Not all money that comes to us is earned; some are simply a result of another’s goodness or kindness. And for this, we often have to be grateful to God and to men, whom God uses to give us such gifts. Each of us must also cultivate the art of giving such gifts to others who need them, not out of compulsion, but from a free heart.

Anything short of true, substantial and lasting (trans-generational) wealth is not good enough for you. However, this kind of wealth can only be built by the patient and persistent observance of the rules of wealth – industry, investment, philanthropy and principled spending. True wealth is not necessarily about affluence or social class, though those may result from it. It is about possessing the capacity, not only to meet your needs and take care of your responsibilities, but also to help others and to hedge against the days of trouble because “money is a defence” (Ecc. 7:12). Know this, however: God has not called us to pursue money. Rather, it is He who gives us the “power to get wealth” (Deut. 8:18). Also, the Scriptures state that “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and addeth no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22). So God does bless us so we can be rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

“God has given us both a heart and a mandate to reach the nations. So we must employ everything within our means to fulfill this mandate. He has given us a heart that yearns and longs to reach out to, impact and equip the peoples of this world to live a prosperous life with eternal significance. This is the core of our heartbeat as believers – to bring the message of Christ’s life to the nations. After preparing our hearts to this end, he also gave us a specific mandate to fulfill this same mission. Hence, we are instructed to do the very same things that our hearts are prepared to do. This is why God often has to prepare and enlarge our hearts before committing His vision and accompanying resources unto us. His purpose is to ensure that we see beyond ourselves in every way we are blessed, and reach out to others, sharing with them the blessing of Christ in our lives. He wants us to see ourselves as channels of blessing instead of just being blessed. In this lies the key to ensuring our multiplication as believers – not focusing on our own needs, but on the needs of others.”

Read the first part here: Toyin Taiwo | Thoughts on Money (1)