Christian Living

Investment advice for entrepreneurs

by jay supetran
07/15/17
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Ecclesiastes 5:19 – Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil – this is a gift of God.

Billionaires are getting younger these days. The list is long with the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel and Alexandra Andersen.  With the internet as the basic platform, entrepreneurs are looking for the ‘next big thing’ to AirBnB and Uber. Social media helps and provides big data to show what people wanted and generate innovative ideas that can lead to the next trend.

Some enterprising Christians follow the same pattern of wealth building, while some believers dismiss wealth management as ‘serving mammon’ and discussing biblical principles on managing business as ‘prosperity gospel.’ But we cannot deny the fact that material blessings are part of God’s gift to us.  The bible speaks of barns overflowing (Proverbs 3:9), abundant food (Proverbs 12:11), and inheritance for children (Proverbs 13:22) among others. The bible is not against becoming rich and being able to manage the blessings provided by God.

God rewards hard work and in the book of Ecclesiastes, diversification of investments is advised to manage risk. We can read in Ecclesiastes 11:2, ‘Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.’ Succeeding verse 6 stated the same advice, ‘Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.’

Opposite of this attitude is laziness which is abhorred in the Bible. Being lazy is reflected in a man’s position of being too risk averse. In Ecclesiastes 11:4 it is stated, ‘Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.’ Why is this attitude wrong? Because it shows worrying and loss of faith in God.

Being wealthy and blessed with material possessions carry with it responsibilities. The first is to acknowledge that God is the source of all the wealth.  Leviticus 26:3-4 stated, ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.’ Wealth therefore does not depend on our management skills but on God’s providence.

Let us not also forget our fellow men particularly the poor among us. We should show kindness to them by sharing the blessings from our businesses.  In Proverbs 19:17 we are reminded, ‘Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,  and he will reward them for what they have done.’

Finally in the New Testament, Paul urged us to glorify God through our blessings. 1Thessalonians 4:11-12 stated, ‘And make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.’