By Mark Witas
“Honor the Lord with your wealth” (Proverbs 3:9).
I believe in spiritual gifts. I believe some people are given the gift of tongues. Others, the gift of healing. Still others, the gifts of teaching, prophecy, or hospitality. I don’t believe Paul (or any other Bible author) has given us an exhaustive list of all spiritual gifts. One I think was left out (at least in my reading) is the gift of making money. I know people who have as their primary spiritual gift a divine talent for turning one dollar into millions. They are just really, really good at making money.
Spiritual gifts can be used for the benefit of others or for selfish gain.
I have a relative who was gifted at making money to the point that he dropped out of high school in the tenth grade because, in his words, “Why should I waste my time in school when I can be making money?”
By the time he was in his early twenties he was a millionaire many times over. He had his hands in everything from gold mines to earth moving equipment; from corporate helicopters to exotic animals for zoos. His home boasted priceless paintings.. He had a huge building on his property to house all his vintage automobiles and toys of every description. He had the Midas touch, no doubt.
And then he died.
All his life his ambition was to make more and more. This ambition cost him several marriages. It cost him friends. It cost him relationships with his children. From all outward manifestations and observations, he was a selfish and petty man.
The wisdom writer admonishes us to honor the Lord with our wealth. That is to say, when we are blessed, it’s our task and obligation, but more than that, our joy, to bless the world with the blessings we have received. When we do, our joy, our relationships, our peace of mind, our relationship with God and people will be blessed. It’s not something God necessarily orchestrates this way, it’s just how love works. When love is received, it’s given away. And when the circle works as it’s designed, His Kingdom comes, on earth as it is in heaven.
So, I wrote about a stingy relative of mine who was blessed with the spiritual gift of making and managing money. Now, I’d like to give an example of how to use wealth to bless and grow the Kingdom.
I have a friend who is the richest person I’ve ever met. Just before I left the district where I was preaching and where he lives, he said, “Mark I just closed on a deal and I don’t know what to do with all this extra money.”
I’m no financial advisor, but I asked (maybe impolitely), “Oh? How much money did this deal put in your pocket?
“Just north of $260 million”
It took a second for me to catch my breath.
He continued, “I don’t know what to do with all of it. My kids are all wealthy, my grandkids are taken care of—it’s a real problem.”
Let me tell you more about this person. He has spent his life mentoring others on how to make lots of money for themselves. He’s the only rich person I know who has far more friends than enemies. In fact, I don’t know that he has any enemies.
One Christmas, I accompanied him as he went from charitable organization to charitable organization, giving each of them a Christmas gift of $10,000. Boy Scouts, Rotary Club, Salvation Army, you name it. We went to dozens of these organizations. He never asks for a thank you. Refuses to have anything named after himself. He just loves to give. He’s built schools, conference offices, and churches.
Each day he comes into his office dressed in a suit that he bought sometime in the 1970s, reads the financials and does what he does best. Makes money.
One day I asked him why he comes to work each day. “Why don’t you just go live on a beach or on a yacht or something?”
His answer? “Why would I do that? I’d hate that. I like being here interacting with the people and watching my money do good things for the people in this community.”
Another time I referenced “his money.” He stopped me. “Oh Mark, this isn’t my money. It’s all God’s money. He’s just asked me to manage it for Him.”
This is the attitude a believer must take – whether they’ve got millions or merely hundreds in the bank.
–Mark Witas is the lead pastor at Sunnyside Adventist Church in Portland, Oregon. His reflection on Proverbs 3:9–12 appeared in Daily Walk, a Bible study series built around the sermons at Boulder Adventist Church in con junction with several other churches. Reprinted by permission. Email him at: [email protected].