Big U is the founder and Executive Director of Developing Options, Inc.,a non-profit organization that began in 2004 to give the youth of the 77th I GRYD Zone in Los Angeles, CA choices beyond the gang violence, drug, and crime through: advocacy, education, resources, training and development and sports. The goal of the Developing Options program is to decrease gang activity in this GRYD Zone, and to empower the community to strive for a safer, thriving environment for our youth. Developing Options’ believes in laying the ground work and providing the conditions that inspire and create viable options for people by enabling connections to be made between communities, fostering alliances with local advocates, and developing programs that harness the power and skills community members need to effect change in their own lives.
BIBLICAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT
by Creflo Dollar |
When we hear the term “wealth management,” most of us think in terms of money. Wealth certainly is related to finances, but in God’s eyes it’s not limited solely to this area. The wealth management industry is big business, and advisors focus on helping their clients build a financial portfolio. By comparison, God’s view of wealth is more comprehensive.
Every day we see people who put getting wealthy above everything else. This mindset is apparent in everything they say and do, but although they may have money, it doesn’t buy happiness. Wealth is fickle and can vanish as quickly as it appears; if we place our trust in it, we find that our security can disappear seemingly overnight. “For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs” (1 Timothy 6:10, AMPC). People have done many foolish things and ruined their lives because they wanted to get rich.
Wealth, alone, can never bring us the intangibles that make life worth living. That only comes from Jesus. There’s nothing wrong with having money, but God wants us to love Him more than our bank account. He actually promises to bless us financially when we trust Him over anything else. “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).
True wealth and prosperity begin on the spiritual level and trickle down to the physical level. Trusting in Christ as our source for everything results in an abundance of peace, joy, and security. Prosperity is being successful on every level, not just in our finances. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 1:2). These things can’t be purchased at any cost, yet it’s something everyone wants and needs.
There’s nothing wrong with honest work, as long as we work with the proper motivation. Money is simply a tool to help others. This is important to remember when God blesses us with a steady income. “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28). Putting others’ needs before our own is a godly mindset that keeps us safe from greed and selfishness.
There’s a connection between money and trust that the world completely misses. Trusting in money steals our joy and peace of mind, and makes us miserable. Trusting in God, and believing that He wants financial security for us, keeps us in the right frame of mind. “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18, NIV).
An abundant, prosperous life is about more than just money. We don’t have to be afraid to build wealth, but maintaining the proper attitude toward it helps us keep it in perspective while we’re doing that. Trusting in God results in blessings, financially as well as in every other area of our lives.
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