The Reason We Are Not All Wealthy test
Welcome to The Bible Money Journal, a brief for Christian professionals who want to learn more about God’s ways of managing money. In each edition, I share a verse, a story, and a money lesson to help you in your journey.
This brief is a resource for navigating the scriptures through the lens of financial planning and learning how to apply them in your life.
Let’s get started!
Genesis 2:10-12
10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11 The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12 The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there.
What I thought was the easy way to get rich
I found a $1 bill on the sidewalk. I looked both ways to see if anyone had dropped it. I picked it up, stopped by the corner store, and bought myself a snack. That was over 25 years ago when $1 could buy more than one thing. I felt lucky AND wealthy!
I went home and told my mom what had happened. I proceeded to tell her that I was going to be looking more closely for money in the future so I could buy myself things. The 8-year-old version of me had found a “sure way” to be rich. My mom gave me a reality check: “I’m sorry to tell you that money doesn’t grow on trees, and you probably won’t find a lot of money on the sidewalk regularly.”
God created a perfect world
My 8-year-old mind was arguably more in-tune with God’s creation than I realized at the time. The story of creation begins with a beautiful depiction of paradise. The Garden of Eden, with a flowing river, and abundant resources, was God’s ideal place for us to live.
There would be no famine or drought in this world, and wealth was all around us.
There would be no scarcity; it would be an abundant life.
There would be no need for financial advisors, no rat race, no accumulation, and no need to invest and grow a portfolio to support you when you can no longer work.
Why do I need Christian financial planning?
The human desire to chase after what we want, even if it is opposed to what God wants, led us out of God’s plentiful garden. Our world is plagued with hunger, disease, and poverty. What should have been living in a plentiful garden under ideal conditions is now threatened by darkness.
In this world, gold is not pure or abundant. We have to mine it, refine it, and repurpose it. Precious stones are not lying around everywhere. Building wealth requires hard work and discipline over time.
Faith-based financial planning attempts to bridge both concerns: financial and spiritual. Part of how I serve my clients is to help them figure out the technical side of managing money and the heart behind it. Biblical financial planning is not much different from traditional financial planning, except we focus on to what end we build wealth and financial security. These conversations don’t happen overnight — it takes months and years to get your heart to the point where it holds everything in balance.
Leo Marte is a Christian financial advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. Abundant Advisors provides financial advice for Christians with convenient virtual meetings. Let’s talk if you are ready to make the next move.