Financial freedom and true freedom
The Lord Jesus reminds us in the Gospels that where the treasure is, there will your heart also be. There are 2,350 verses in the Bible that talk about money and property. In addition to dedicating one-tenth of the money to God, what is more important for Christians is how to use and distribute the other nine-tenths, because the attitude towards money and the use of it are Method, showing the character and light of this person's life.
When it comes to financial management, we should actually start from God’s words and intentions. Once we clearly understand God’s will in our lives, that is, where our hearts are, we can learn to make the use and distribution of money consistent with God’s will and the meaning of life. The most high God owns everything in heaven and on earth. Such a majestic and glorious Lord has given us a mission and entrusted us with the management of resources. Readers are invited to think about and adjust their financial management attitudes and practices to make true financial freedom the way to realize the meaning of life.
What the world thinks about investment profits
When it comes to financial management, you may first think about how to create wealth, how to invest or save, how to retire early and live the life you want... and so on. These are important questions. But what exactly is the goal of financial management?
Some people will answer that it is to get rich, or to make money in the shortest time with the smallest effort. You can get a glimpse of it from today's most popular financial headlines: "If you want financial freedom and retire early, how much savings do you need?"; "Create passive income, you can make money without working, and you can have a steady stream of cash flow while you sleep." ; "The latest method allows you to start making money from a young age"; "Get rich quickly and quickly advance to the winning group in life"...
Are you also moved?
But does having wealth mean happiness? Money has come in, can it be saved? Does losing wealth mean losing the meaning of life?
It has been more than two years since the global COVID-19 epidemic broke out. I thought it would end soon. Unexpectedly, not only did it not slow down, it even continued to mutate, with waves rising again and again. The economy has been severely impacted, the tourism industry has almost come to a standstill, the international and domestic supply and demand chains have been affected, and inflation... These negative stressors push many people into depression.
It is true that many people have quickly accumulated wealth due to the epidemic. A more common phenomenon is that the long-term poverty alleviation and poverty alleviation plans of many regions and countries have been brought back to their original starting points due to the epidemic. Taiwan has been favored by God. With proper control, Taiwanese people can enjoy the freedom of gathering and activities that other countries do not have. However, some salary earners, the catering industry, and the tourism industry have been affected, and prices have increased and house prices have soared, and the impact has become increasingly severe. The bigger!
From the world's representative word "vaccine" in 2021, and Taiwan's annual representative word "home", it is not difficult to feel the general mood of the people: trapped by the epidemic, they still have hope. In such an environment, where does our personal sense of security come from?
I know a retired sister who owns several expensive properties and tens of millions of dollars in cash. However, she frowns every day, worrying about the taxes she has to pay to the government, how to distribute the children fairly, and how to invest to make more money. Leave money to your children and grandchildren….
Wealth no longer brings blessings to this sister, but more uneasiness and worry!If we can first seek God's will, understand it clearly, and then distribute and use our wealth in line with God's will, and then allocate and contribute to the work of God's kingdom in advance, wouldn't we be storing treasure in heaven? Not only is there no need to worry, this is truly biblical financial management.
Investment or speculation?
In the past, we often heard about the M-shaped society, which means that under the trend of globalization, the rich are making a lot of hot money around the world and their wealth is rising rapidly; on the other hand, with the redistribution of resources, the middle class is gradually losing its competitiveness. Reduced to the middle and lower classes, global wealth moves to the left or right.
Through observation in recent years, Taiwan has actually already moved from an M-shaped society to an L-shaped society. The wealth of the rich has skyrocketed, while the poor have been severely hit. There seems to be no possibility of turning over. After the epidemic, Taiwan officially entered a K-shaped society. The rich get richer, and their wealth accumulation shoots up like a cannon; the poor fall further, falling deeper into poverty. 1
In 2021, I have taught and shared in hundreds of online financial management-related lectures and courses. The topics include: safe financial planning, how to manage money correctly during the epidemic, financial outlook in the post-epidemic era, learning financial management wisdom from Jews, etc. In addition, he also talked about cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin), the Metaverse, and the recently emerged NFT (non-fungible token) from the perspective of the "stay-at-home economy". The focus is on the hope of passing on the values of the Kingdom of God.
Taiwan's Accounting and Accounting Office announced that the gap between rich and poor reached 6.13 times in 2020, expanding for three consecutive years and hitting an eight-year high, showing that the gap between rich and poor continues to widen! 2
▲Where the treasure is, there is the heart. What is financial management that is consistent with heavenly values?
In times of change, how do followers of Christ face an uncertain future? What unchanging truth can teach me how to protect my money and my heart? This has become an important topic in post-pandemic personal finance.
Nowadays, investment advisors and financial management experts often talk about "saving money", "saving stocks", etc. In fact, they may not be completely correct.In fact, the best financial planning must be tailored according to your personal financial situation and constantly adjusted to God's will.We hereby solemnly remind readers not to borrow money to invest while in debt. This is definitely not the correct way to manage money.
Ever heard this argument? "Investment is investment, and saving money is saving money. They should not be confused, because investment involves risks." Many people are influenced by secular financial management concepts and only think about making profits from investment, and even use high-risk leverage operations to get rich quickly. Unfortunately, it often results in greater losses and falls into the trap of poverty.
A single-parent sister raises three young children by herself. The balance of her monthly income after deducting living expenses is not saved, but completely invested. When the child was hospitalized and needed money urgently, his investment account suffered losses and he was in the dilemma of reaching out to borrow money from people around him.
To be a good steward of your finances, a very important part of smart financial management is to prepare for a rainy day. People are bound to encounter various situations in their life, and good times should be prepared for difficult times. A retired brother has hundreds of millions of Taiwan dollars in cash. He is eager for quick profits and has no investment wisdom. As a result, the cash was reduced by half and the debt was 30 million yuan. The old brother managed finances as he pleased, even borrowing money to invest, resulting in huge financial losses. If managed properly, wouldn’t there be abundant resources for the Kingdom of God?
Christians really need to think about: How should we use the wealth and various resources given by God to honor Him? If the purpose of getting rich is only to enjoy your own life and accumulate wealth, then it is not investment, but speculation.
The financial management concepts that are truly in line with biblical teachings are:Work hard to earn an income; make a plan to pay off debt; save an emergency reserve; have enoughenoughcash flow; tailor-made financial planning and allocation according to short-term and long-term goals in life; use excess funds to make investments you can afford; invest in the Kingdom of God and receive eternal rewards.
▲When one’s basic living needs are met, the excess wealth can be invested in good works that please God and bless more people.
Financial freedom and true freedom
Why do people want to be rich? What's the point of living a life that keeps making money and accumulating wealth without finding your true value? God gives people money and various other tangible and intangible resources so that we can be prepared to do all kinds of good deeds and not just care about our own things. Everyone is talking about passive income and making money while lying down, thinking that this is financial freedom. This kind of thinking is actually not in line with biblical teachings.
In fact, work can become a mission, rather than a shackle that restricts free life; the workplace is also a missionary field, not a factory that extracts sweat and sweat. When we do the work at hand seriously, accumulate talents in the workplace, and become messengers of the gospel, serving people and glorifying God, work is not only a tool for making a living, but also a way to realize the meaning of life.
So what is true financial freedom? What is the purpose of financial freedom? Most people may think that being able to eat, drink and have fun without any worries, satisfy material comforts, travel around the world, etc. is financial freedom. But God wants to give us a broader perspective;Check outHimIn our eyes, financial freedom allows Christians to take care of more people in need. When one's basic living needs are met, and the excess wealth can be invested in good works that are pleasing to God, and become a blessing to oneself and those around him through the use and distribution of money, that is true financial freedom, that is, true freedom.
In the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25 verse 21, the master said to the servant who made good use of his resources:"Well, you good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a few things, but I will put you in charge of many things; come in and enjoy the joy of your master."
Dear friends, looking back on this life, have you been happy every day so far? Do you manage the money you earn well? Does money bring happiness and satisfaction, or more worries and burdens?Ask yourself honestly and seriously, why?
The abundant Heavenly Father is willing to give. Are we also willing to love what He loves and let the wealth He gives us become the resources to live out the meaning of life according to His will?
We sincerely hope to reflect and learn together with you, not only on financial management methods that are in line with the Bible, but also on wealth concepts that are in line with the values of the Kingdom of Heaven. The truth of financial management in the Kingdom of Heaven can help people gain financial freedom, because only the truth that comes from God can teach people to gain true freedom.
Note:
1. Regarding Taiwan's economic trends, please refer to "Naruto Hall" written by Guo Yongxing "Exports soar, domestic demand languishes: hidden worries about Taiwan's "L-shaped economy" in the second half of the year" (https://opinion.udn.com/opinion/story/12705/5585022).
2. Refer to the report of Juheng.com (https://news.cnyes.com/news/id/4703582).
Pan Huating, Chairman of Taiwan Rural Disadvantaged Care, Development and Mutual Aid Cooperation Association, General Manager of Gabriel International Wealth Management Consulting Co., Ltd., Founder of Gabriel Saint Financial Team, and CEO of Aetna Insurance Brokers Co., Ltd. He has international financial planner and psychological counselor certificates, and is a teacher at the Chinese Boaz Association Joshua School of Management. He loves life and devotes himself wholeheartedly to domestic and foreign gospel ministries, serving the disadvantaged in rural areas and poverty alleviation projects. He also participates in the ministry of entrepreneurs to achieve the kingdom's enterprises and the Great Commission, and uses his life to influence lives.