Investing God’s Way
Written by: Howard Dayton
Did you know that today’s opportunities for investing will be obsolete a couple of years from now? Whatever strategy you rely on today will have to be updated within a few years because of changes in the market. More important than knowing current investment strategies is understanding solid biblical investing principles. Why? Because they never change. You can apply these principles for a lifetime to your investment decisions. They will stay relevant, whether you are considering stocks, bonds or another investment option.
Allow time for investing.
“Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty” (Prov. 21:5, TLB). Many people lose money on gambling, risky investments and illegal pyramid schemes in hopes of striking it rich overnight. There’s a better way. Proverbs 21:5 evokes the image of a per-son filling a large barrel one handful at a time. It’s the same way with building wealth. Nothing replaces consistent, month-by-month investing. If you steadily invest $1,000 per year at 6 per-cent interest, for example, you’ll have far more than $160,000 at the end of 40 years.
Don’t be ashamed to seek advice.
“Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days” (Prov. 19:20, NKJV). We all have limited knowledge and experience. Don’t let ignorance jeopardize your hard-earned money. Look for a financial adviser who understands what the Bible says about money. If : you don’t know such a person, Kingdom Advisors can help (kingdomadvisors.org). If you’re married, get input from your wife. Many times the Lord communicates most clearly to a man through his wife.
Select a diversity of investments.
“Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know 1 what misfortune may occur on the earth” (Eccl. 11:2, NASB). There’s no foolproof way to determine which investment will be a winner during the next 10 years. You could be at risk if you put all your investment dollars into one company’s stock. Ways to ‘ diversify your portfolio include mutual funds, precious metals, bonds, real estate and certificates of deposit.
Guard against the desire to be rich.
“But those who desire to get rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts” (1 Tim. 6:9, NKJV). Why is merely wanting to become rich an incredibly dangerous desire? First Timothy 6:10 answers the question: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” When you want to get rich, you actually love money. God wants instead to give you a desire to be a faithful steward and wise investor of what He has entrusted to you. He can change your motives so that all you want is to please Him.
Balance your investing with giving.
“He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor” (Prov. 22:9). Jesus told a parable about a “rich fool”—a prosperous man who failed to give and kept everything for himself instead (see Luke 12:20). Jesus called this man foolish because he saved everything. He didn’t balance saving with generous giving. If you only pile up your investments, your affection will be drawn
from God to them because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). If you give generously to God, you can invest your resources and still love Him with all of your heart.
Howard Dayton is the co-founder of Crown Financial Ministries, based in Gainesville, Georgia (crown .org) and author of Your Money Map (Moody).
This article “Investing God’s Way” written by Howard Dayton is excerpted from New Man Magazine a Nov/Dec 2007 edition.
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat, throw away the bones.”
