The Wealth Conundrum
Earning money to make a profit so that you can give it away is a conundrum—but it rewards well. "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." —Jesus
I run an investment advisory business to make money, then I give away as much of that money as possible to people and organizations who will make a significant difference somewhere. These two types of actions—making it, then giving it away—may seem at first glance to be the opposite of one another, but upon closer examination they are quite similar. It is a paradox. A mystery. A wealth conundrum we don't understand. Yet in real life it rewards well.
Most of us go through life spending on ourselves, saving for ourselves, and leaving all our money to our children to spend on themselves when we are gone. That's not a winning philosophy. The truth about wealth is "Whoever dies with the most toys loses."
Jesus often spoke in parables—puzzles that most people did not understand. He told a story about a man about to go on a journey who entrusted his investments to three money managers. To one he gave $5,000, to another $2,000, to a third $1,000 —each according to his abilities. Then he went out of town. The first manager went to work and doubled the $5,000 investment to $10,000. The second doubled the $2,000 investment to $4,000. When the investor returned he said to each money manager, "Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner!"
But the third money manager carefully buried his boss's working capital in the ground. The investor was furious with him and said, "That's a terrible way to live. It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. Take the $1,000 and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this 'play it safe' who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness" (adapted from The Message).
Is this fair? Is God cruel? The third manager's motives may have been right in his own mind. He wanted to do what he thought his boss wanted. But he really didn't know his boss. That is how God sees our investment accounts. His goal is not for us to accumulate money but to accomplish His goals with it, just as the first two managers did. When we store up money in investment accounts instead of putting it to work, we are burying money in the ground. The misinformed servant never realized that the money his boss placed in his hands to manage wasn't his harvest, but his seed!
INVESTING IN PEOPLE
Jesus had a broader view of wealth than money accumulation. He was talking about investing everything you have to get the greatest return. That includes investing, but even more important, it means investing your life and whatever you have in people. That is commendable. That gives a reward that lasts.
I am in the investment business. I invest with the purpose of maximizing gains. I have an effective, well managed, profitable organization that produces profits that can be used in the most effective way possible.
I give my money in the same way. My objective is to maximize the gain I can get by investing in society. What I give is multiplied in the outreach of the people who receive it, if I give wisely. Like a venture capital firm looking for places to give seed money with potentially big returns, I look for a potential multiplier effect in my giving.
Giving to worthy causes is another form of compound interest. I get a higher rate of return when I invest my funds in people and ideas that produce a multiplier effect than if I kept the money for myself and gave it away later.
PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY ASSETS
The wealthy people I met in my estate planning service were some of the most unhappy people on earth. While I was helping them find out what they wanted in life and what they wanted to do with their money, I watched many family screaming matches. I saw fathers and sons battle it out, scrambling for wealth. I heard people shouting obscenities at one another. The more they hung onto their wealth, the more miserable they became.
I received a healthy perspective on how to look at money from Hank Bronson, a businessman and good friend. He sits with me on the board of trustees of the Haggai Institute, an organization that is one of the most effective organizations for evangelism and leadership training that I have found. Hank said that he keeps his financial statement up to date by listing his permanent assets separately from his temporary assets. Permanent assets include only what he has given away. When he computes the permanent value of the money he gives, he also uses a formula to incorporate a time value into that money. The funds he gave a long time ago are weighted with interest, and reflect a total present value. Temporary assets include stocks and bonds, real estate, and the cash that he still controls.
I have an account in heaven where my permanent net worth is being increased by my giving here on earth. Whatever money I accumulate on earth is temporary net worth, but there is something greater going on in my behalf in the next world—something permanent. Following in Hank's footsteps, I used his accounting method of giving and keeping until eventually my permanent net worth exceeded my temporary net worth.
I have also established a lifetime giving goal that intimidates and challenges me when I think about it. I posted it in a conspicuous place to remind me of its priority. Dr. John Edmund Haggai has given me a wall plaque that says, "Attempt something so great for God it's doomed to failure unless God be in it."
I always make a goal big enough to get excited about. Gifts to my foundation don't count. Gifts to my children don't count. Gifts left in my will don't count. This is a lifetime goal. I want to die broke, keeping just enough seed money to be able to accomplish whatever God leads me to do. If I give when I am alive, at least I know where it is going. Kenneth Keyes, a fundraiser who is the second largest realtor in the United States, said, "Do your giving while you're living. Then you're knowing where it's going." 
- Got a question or comment about this article? Discuss it on our Message Boards.
