Daily Devotion Sun. 30/4/2017
30/4/2017 LESSON 9
WEALTH CREATION THROUGH INVESTMENTS
Quarter’s Theme: UNDERSTANDING BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP
Unit 3: Pathway To Prosperity (Lessons 7-12)
Suggested Hymns: G.H.B. 243, 244
Devotional Reading: GEN. 26:12-14
Topic For Adults
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE OR TOO EARLY TO START
Topic For Youths
THERE IS NO SHORTCUT TO GODLY RICHES
Topic For Intermediates
WISDOM IS THE PRINCIPAL THING
Scripture Lesson
GEN. 30:25-43; LK. 19:12-26
(SOUL WINNERS CROWN COMPETITION MONTHS)
MEMORY VERSE
“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your father, as it is this day.” Deut. 8:18 (NKJV)
DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING
Sun. 30/4/2017
Wrong Attitude Hinders Wealth Creation
Matt. 25:14-30
The parable of talents was used by Jesus to illustrate kingdom investment and accountability. The word ‘talent’ used in this parable is widely taught to be gift, skill or natural ability. It is actually a unit of currency like Naira, Dollar, and Pounds etc. A talent in those days was equivalent to 60 minas or 6,000 Denarii. Denarius is one day wage while 200 Denarii are for half a year (Jn. 6:7), therefore a talent is worth over 15 year wages for a labourer and that’s worth millions in our days. The master entrusted so much money to them, even the servant that got one talent, got much too. Our attitude to our income is what limits our investment capability. It is not how much each servant got that mattered but what each of them did with what they got. Those who create wealth have mastered how to make, manage and multiply money. They use their money to make more money. Investing your income is the surest way to creating more money. See your current income as a means for investing not for living or food. Jesus said that abandoning cash in Bank is the least and a foolish form of investment; ‘you should have at least left my money with the Bankers’. If you put the money to work by investing in a profitable business, portfolio or real estate, you will reap more money. The master’s judgment was that those who manage and multiply their earnings should have more but the one who refused to grow his income was stripped of what he had and sentenced to continual poverty.
POINT OF EMPHASIS: It is not how much you earn that makes you rich but what you do with what you earn.
PRAYER POINT: O Lord give me grace and wisdom to know how to make, manage and multiply money in Jesus’ name
BACKGROUND
Not many people aspire to be wealthy in their lifetime, but this is the will of God for His Children (3 Jn. 2; Ps. 35: 27). God is the possessor of heaven and earth, He makes rich or poor because silver and gold belong to Him (Gen. 14: 19; 1 Sam. 2: 7; Prov. 22: 2; Hag. 2:8). However, wealth is not what you merely wish or pray for, though Eccl. 5: 9 says that the wealth of the earth is for everyone even the Kings attain great wealth and power from the field. Poverty or prosperity is a choice. There is a big difference between being rich and wealthy. The main difference is that rich people possess money but wealthy people create money. This week’s lesson focuses on how believers could create wealth by making their money and talent to work for them.
NOTES ON THE TEXT
PART 1: YOU CAN CREATE WEALTH (GEN. 30:25-43)
There are many ways people make legitimate income but 6 are common; by working in a steady job, trade, self-employment from their acquired skills and talents, by inheritance, by starting their own business and by investment. The ungodly resort to stealing, begging, borrowing and gambling which are illegitimate and unadvisable ways of making money.
Most Christians though already blessed, still live in poverty, because they do not tap into the Divine way of creating wealth. Jacob had the blessing of God in his life. The blessing is the divine empowerment to get wealth (Gen. 8: 18). It brings riches and adds no sorrow. The blessing of God on a man causes him to prosper in whatever he lays his hands upon to do (Ps. 1:3). The blessing is what God pronounced on man when He said prosper! Have dominion in Genesis 1:28. This led to the all round blessings for Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). Joseph prospered in Egypt because he carried the blessing of Abraham. But the blessing cannot produce wealth unless it’s activated and invested in work for ‘faith without work is dead’. (Jam. 4: 17).
Jacob left his father’s house totally poor with a staff and the blessing over his life but came back amazingly rich.
Believers should learn divine pattern for creating wealth. Start from making money, get a job, use your skill or talent to create self-employment and develop a guaranteed source of income. Also, manage money, see it as a means and seed not a provision or bread. Save first, delay gratification, budget spending and create definite savings target. Join registered cooperative society, place a standing order for direct debit, open non-checking account, fixed deposit etc over a period of time for specific target.
PART 2: INVEST MONEY WISELY (LK. 19:12- 26)
Investing is the act of committing money or capital to an endeavour with the expectation of obtaining an additional income or profit. It’s a different way of making money by using your money to make more money as against working extra hours or extra hard to make more money. An investor does not have to go to work, whether he sleeps, plays or in church, he is making money. The benefits of investments are true financial independence, sense of security, early and safe retirement and ability to afford everything you desire in life. You no longer have to wait on promotion list, work overtime or get another higher paying job to achieve your financial dreams. It takes clarity of purpose, proper planning, per-sistence and patience to be a successful investor. According to our text, the master gave each of his servants money, each according to his ability. The instruction was that they should do business with it pending his arrival. While the rest servants invested what they were given and earned more money, the foolish servant reacted badly and kept it. Christian investors should give attention to their character, capacity, capability and the capital because each one of these would inform his investment decision. You must develop your capability before you invest your capital; don’t let your financial characters and habit diminish your capacity to turn your capital to profit; don’t take more than you can grow; don’t risk more than you can afford to lose unless you truly understand the business.
People make investments into personal development, children educa-tion, real estate, stock, business, inven-tion, bond, insurance bond etc. each having various expectations. It does not matter how you choose to invest your money, the goal is always to put your money to work so it earns you additional profit. It is important to emphasise that investment is not gambling. It is not about putting your money to risk or in a get-rich-quick scheme. An investor does not put his or her money to some random investment; he or she must have adequate information, perform thorough analysis and commit capital only when there is a reasonable expectation of profit. There are some investments you can do. You can buy stocks (Lk. 19:21; Deut. 6:11, 4:38). You can buy land and other properties (Prov. 31:16). These do not depreciate but appreciate. You can also invest in any legitimate business (1 Thess. 4:11-12). You should know that those who create wealth find a need or a problem, create a product or services to solve it.
CONCLUSION
Have you ever wondered how the rich get their wealth and keep growing it? Do you have dream of having to be working so hard for money or have money work for you? It is the blessing of God that makes one rich without hard labour. You can enjoy rest from labour if you develop a long term investment plan, pray for guidance, get expert advice and persist patiently. Wealth creation through investment takes time but that is the way the wealthy built their empire.
QUESTIONS
- What is the difference between the state of being rich and wealthy?
- How can you become a wealthy Christian?
- What is the divine plan of making wealth?
- Why is investing more than hoping to be lucky?
- Name some profitable investment you can do.