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 8:18
As you may know, I serve as President & CEO of GTP (Global Trust Partners). We offer on demand courses to multiply faithful stewards around the world.
Right now hundreds of stewards in more than 50 countries are going through courses. Today, I got this question from Marilyn Aragon and felt led to post it and my reply as today’s post. Happy reading.
“Can you share us some thoughts on creating wealth righteously?”
Marilyn Aragon asked this question in GTP on demand course entitled When Money Goes on Mission, based on the book by Rob Martin (Chicago: Moody Press, 2019). Here was my reply in the on demand platform.
Hi Marilyn, first of all, biblically speaking, if you find it hard to create wealth righteously, it’s because it is impossible to do so. Let me explain.
The biblical use of the word ‘create’ links to God. Everything we do uses the raw matter or ideas from Him. Ecclesiastes 1:9 reminds us, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Only God creates ex nihilo, out of nothing. So if you struggle, it’s because, by definition, you are trying to do what only God can do.
Humans can, however, produce wealth. All production comes from raw materials from God. If I had a forest of wood, for example, I could produce a log cabin out of the raw material, wood, that God has supplied. I might produce it with creativity, but I never create, per se. If I follow this righteous course, the buyer of the cabin wins, the builders get work, and I make income. Everyone wins.
And righteous wealth production keeps insights from the whole Bible in view. For example, Genesis 1:26-28 reminds us that God created everything and appointed us as stewards of creation. Go back to the forest. If I cut down all the wood, what happens. No more forest. So my righteous production can become unrighteous quickly if I destroy the ecosystem and the bio-diversity, the life in the woods.
Also James 5:1-6 talks about paying fair wages. Go back to the woods. If I paid the builders an unfair wage, my production becomes unrighteous. God sees it too. He hears their cries. Some have chosen to wipe out one forest and with the profits buy and destroy another. Not good. I am saying to produce your cabins with attentiveness to the larger stewardship of creation and fair compensation to workers.
Also, Deuteronomy 8:18 teaches us that God gives us this ability to produce wealth. But that production always comes with a purpose. Righteous wealth production never aims at becoming self-indulgent, materialistic, arrogant, or financially independent. All those aims, biblically speaking, represent foolishness. He blesses us to bless others.
Let me move the illustration from the business sector of building log cabins to the ministry sector which relates to this course. I will use my own GTP story as an example. God called me to start GTP in 2018, we have produced wealth by stewarding our relationships and inviting people to join with us in our purpose. This story mirrors the story of many ministries.
As resources have come in, have I given them all to myself. Of course not! I have administrative standards and governance in place to hold me and the other staff accountable. As an aside, most privately owned businesses lack standards and governance, often to their own destruction. Perhaps you know stories of people who have fallen into this trap. I digress.
At GTP we get accredited every year by ECFA to verify we are following seven standards of responsible stewardship. Visit ecfa.org to learn more. This explains why GTP sets up peer accountability groups like ECFA around the world. When ministries produce wealth righteously, givers share in God’s work, staff use their gifts, volunteers find joy, prayer partners feel blessed. Everyone wins.
At GTP we have stewarded now more than $5 million that has come to GTP in 5+ years. We now have resources to operate, 14 staff and 193 key volunteers to strengthen Christian workers in 134 countries. And we have “come over and help us” calls for help all coming in from over the world. If this sounds like something you want, how do you get there? It goes back to your question.
The righteous way to produce wealth links to using what you have faithfully and in God-honoring ways, while operating with standards, and having good governance to ensure accountability. By this way, riches and fruitful seasons don’t ruin you but position you for more fruitfulness. In a nonprofit or church, when this happens, God’s workers serve joyously, recipients get empowered, and everyone wins.
I hope this helps. Abandon the aim to create anything. We have one Creator, God. Our job is to steward that which He entrusts to us for having a portion to return to Him, to bless others, and to care for your families. That’s His design and righteous desire. Anything else, well, is not righteous, which in biblical terms means it is wicked, and in wicked schemes, everyone loses. I hope this helps you.