How to Get Rich God's Way
There are many ‘get rich’ schemes
around. Most of them concentrate on “positive thinking” and focus on building
one’s personal esteem, while others involve investment plans and lessons on how
to make a small amount of money grow into a large amount.
Many of these schemes work, many
don’t. The problem with most of the get rich plans is their emphasis on
personal development, to the exclusion of almost everything else, and their
total neglect of “values”. By this we mean the client often works towards the
goal of increasing personal wealth and material possessions, but does not consider
whether wealth is really a good goal by itself, or what effect this drive to
get wealth has on his life, his wife, or his family.
To illustrate this, look at what
Jesus said about a certain rich man:
“The ground of a certain rich man
brought forth plentifully. And he thought . . . what shall I do?
And he said, “This will I do: I will
pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there will I store all my
increase”.
But God said to him, “You fool, this
night your soul shall be required of you: then whose shall those things be,
which you have stored?”
Luke 12:15-21
Jesus told this story to highlight
one thing: greed. In verse 15 and 21 the meaning of the story is given. It is
wrong to be greedy. Aiming at personal riches is a sin, and (perhaps) God will
take the life of a greedy person if they persist long enough in their rampant
drive to hoard wealth for themselves.
And again:
“And seek not what you shall eat, or
what you shall drink, neither be of doubtful mind. For all these things do the
nations of the world seek after, but your Father knows that you need them. But
rather seek first the
Here is one of the greatest promises
in the Bible. If we understand it correctly, it tells us that IF we put God and
His requirements first, we shall receive all the things we need – food,
clothes, money, material needs and so on. All the things which most people
consider to be priorities, God promises to provide if we make these things NOT
priorities.
This is the exact opposite order of
priority taught by most ‘get rich’ schemes.
But does God want people to be
wealthy?
Some people think God is so
‘spiritual’, He doesn’t actually like wealth, and would prefer it if everyone
was poor and needy, because, in some strange way this is seen to be a part of
being ’spiritual’, or ‘holy’. But this is not what the Bible says. Here are some
references from the Bible about wealth:
“But you shall remember the LORD
your God: for it is He that gives you power to get wealth, that He may
establish His covenant which he promised to your fathers (ancestors), as it is
this day”. Deuteronomy 8:18
“And God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart,
and you have not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of your enemies,
neither yet have asked long life; but have asked wisdom and knowledge for
yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I have made you king:
Wisdom and knowledge is granted to
you, and I will give you riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the
kings have had that have been before you, neither shall there any after you
have the like”. 2 Chronicles 1:11,12
This promise, and the one before it
to
“Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his
righteousness endures for ever”. Psalms 112:3
The whole Psalm is about “the man
that fears the Lord” and the result is a long list of blessings.
“Every man also to whom God has
given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat thereof, and to take
his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God”.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
“Length of days is in her (Wisdom’s) right hand; and in her
left hand are riches and honour”. Proverbs 3:16
“Riches and honour are with me
(Wisdom); yea, durable riches and righteousness”. Proverbs 8:18
“By humility and the fear of the
LORD are riches, and honour, and life”. Proverbs 22:4
“And by knowledge shall the chambers
be filled with all precious and pleasant riches”. Proverbs 24:4
All these verses and many more teach that wealth is a
blessing from God, and something which He enjoys giving to people who live in a
way that pleases Him.
So what is the order of priority?
First of all God wants us to put Him
first, then He may bless us with material wealth. There is no absolute
guarantee that He will, because there are times when poverty or adversity may
be part of God’s character-building process, but we can say that in most cases,
and for most people, wealth is a part of the blessing of being a Christian.
Here is the right perspective
concerning the two aspects of wealth = spiritual wealth and material wealth.
Usually the ‘get rich’ schemes make no mention of duty or obedience to God.
Instead, they usually stress self-reliance and self-improvement. They encourage
their clients to do everything themselves, through ‘positive thinking’ or
‘re-programming’, or ‘self-development’, instilling into one’s thoughts certain
slogans and proverbs which alter one’s daily habits.
But it is possible to be rich and
godless.
Well yes, it is not only possible,
it is also quite common.
“Lo, this is the man that made not
God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened
himself in his wickedness”. Psalms 52:7 (This Psalm is about the self-made,
wicked but wealthy man)
“Behold, these are the ungodly, who
prosper in the world; they increase in riches”. Psalms 73:12 Asaph, the writer
of the Psalm goes into some detail, listing many of the characteristics of the
wealthy but godless man, and then adds: “I went into the sanctuary of God, and
then I understood their end. Surely God sets these people in slippery places,
and casts them down to destruction.”
“There is the person who makes
himself rich, yet has nothing: there is the person who makes himself poor, yet
hath great riches”. Proverbs 13:7
And there are some who become
wealthy apparently by luck.
“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to
the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet
riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and
chance happens to them all”. Ecclesiastes 9:11
Life is not a simple thing. It is
full of subtleties, unexpected twists and turns, seemingly crazy events and
surprising reverses. There are people like Joseph, who was betrayed into the
hands of traders and ended up in Egypt as a slave, but who soon became second
in command of the whole Egyptian nation; and there are times when even being a
king is not enough to prevent eviction from one’s on castle by one’s own son –
as in the case of David and Absalom. One cannot dogmatically say that if
someone obeys God they will become rich. Neither can one say that rich,
non-Christian people will be brought to poverty. But Christians can say that
they have a wealth in another dimension, whereas non-Christians have nothing
but poverty in the spiritual realm.
Wealth is not always a good thing.
He also that received seed among the
thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful”. Matthew
13:22
In this parable, Jesus condemned wealth, because it was the
one factor which prevented someone from becoming a Christian. It is all too
easy for people to get their priorities round the wrong way. They think they
ought to aim at that better job, or new car, or promotion, or whatever the
world offers, and they set the call of Jesus aside. Thus they lose the very
thing they need most.
“And Jesus looked round about, and
said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those that have riches to enter into
the
And the disciples were astonished at
his words. But Jesus answered again, and said to them, “Children, how hard is
it for them that trust in riches to enter into the
By qualifying himself, Jesus made it
clear that there has to be a line drawn between our love for God and our love
for the good things of this world. He did not condemn riches as evil, but as an
unacceptable priority.
“But my God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:19
Needs are not wants. God promises to
provide the things we need if we are ‘tuned in’ to Jesus. This means that a
Christian should expect to have all the necessary things, the basic needs of
life, the daily provisions . . . not luxuries, and not indulgent extras. God
places things into Christian’s lives and expects them to be wise and faithful
stewards with what they have. This logically rules out stupidity, waste,
gambling and so on. (And having food and raiment (clothes) let us be therewith
content.” 1 Timothy 6:8) Contentment with the basics is a Christian ideal. ‘Get
rich’ schemes NEVER suggest that people be content with the basics.
“Charge (or warn) them that are rich
in this world, that they be not high-minded (proud), nor trust in uncertain
riches, but in the living God, who gives to us richly all things to enjoy.” 1
Timothy 6:17
“Esteeming (or considering) the reproach
of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
What this verse means is that Moses,
who had every right to enjoy the high life of wealth, prestige and power as an
adopted son of the king of
So what about the “think positive”
line?
First of there is nothing wrong with
thinking positive, or being optimistic, or looking for the good in life. God
also sees the great potential which all people have, and He wants to help us
reach the highest ability and purpose we can with what He has given us. This
means that our physical and mental abilities, our circumstances and our
material means are all potentially powerful tools in His Hands. But He does not
tell us to concentrate on ourselves, or to look inwards for this power. He
tells us to look outward, to Him. This is where the two paths of self-improvement
diverge in totally opposite directions.
“And be not conformed to this world:
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove (or
understand, or know) what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of
God.” Romans 12:2
In this verse we see that God does
not want us to be conformed to some ‘get rich’ scheme, but to conform our lives
and our way of thinking to something approximating Jesus. God does want us to
change our mode of thinking, and to be changed. He wants our daily habits to
alter, and our ‘programmed’ reactions to daily problems to be changed too. But
this is by a process of spiritual transformation – the Greek is the same as
metamorphosis – changing from one thing into another. ‘Get rich’ schemes seldom
if ever suggest that the client’s mind should be made to change towards God.
Practical wealth-building
techniques.
The Bible teaches several clear,
universal principles, which all lead to prosperity if put into practice. By
universal we mean that there is no person, or culture or nation which cannot
reap the rewards of practicing these principles. They apply to all people, of
all nationalities and religions. They are principles which many people have
discovered, often independently of reading the Bible, and some have built them
into their lives, or businesses, with great success. Some even peddle these
Biblical principles in ‘get rich’ schemes, or build them into normal business
practice as part of the training.
In a similar way, Christian ethics
are also universal – all people and cultures can benefit from such things as
kindness, justice, generosity, care, help and hospitality. We do not need to be
Christians to enjoy the blessings of these things, and nobody ‘owns’ these
things either. In a curious sort of way many of the ‘get rich’ schemes actually
sell such things as ‘diligence’ and ‘hard work’ as if they are some sort of
Manmade invention. I was told, by an insurance trainee, that most of the
agent-to-client work was based directly on the Bible book of Proverbs. I have
also seen repeated examples of businesses flourishing, due almost entirely to
the fact that they are based on the Biblical principles of hard work,
diligence, courtesy, honesty and so on.
It would take a small book to cover
these Biblical principles thoroughly, so we will look briefly at only one of
them: Diligence.
“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful
(lazy, indolent) shall be under tribute”. Proverbs 12:24
“The slothful man roasts not that which he took in hunting:
but the substance of a diligent man is precious”. Proverbs 12:27 (This means
that some people are too lazy to cook what they catch, whereas the diligent
person processes and does plenty with his opportunities.
“The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing: but the
soul of the diligent shall be made fat”. (prosperous) Proverbs 13:4 This means
that some people just sit around and dream about what they would like to do,
but diligent people get busy and work towards their goals.
“The thoughts of the (steadily) diligent tend only to
plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty (impatient, impetuous) only to
want”. Proverbs 21:5
“See that man who is man diligent in
his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean
(lowly or poor) men”. Proverbs 22:29
“Be diligent to know the state of
your flocks, and look well to your herds”. Proverbs 27:23 This means that
whatever you have responsibility over, do your best to tend it and supervise it
thoroughly.
He also that is slothful (lazy or
indolent) in his work is brother to him that is a great waster”. Proverbs 18:9
“Prepare your work without, and make
it fit for yourself in the field; and afterwards build your house”. Proverbs
24:27 This means to start a project at the right end, and do the most important
things first, then work towards the least important things. In some businesses
this might be called ‘preparing the infrastructure’.
“And whatever you do, do it
heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men”. Colossians 3:23 Heartily means
enthusiastically, or with zest. God wants Christians to tackle anything and
everything they do with enthusiasm. It is often this principle of enthusiasm
which makes all the difference between success and failure.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked:
for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap”. Galatians 6:7
Much more could be written on this
subject. The Bible is full of material on the subject of wealth, either by
direct teaching, or by examples. If one reads the Bible, it becomes apparent
that it is not in God’s plan that the Earth should be impoverished, or that any
human should be deprived of all needful things – but Mankind continually rebels
against God and as a consequence brings in wars, famines, sickness, poverty and
other hardships. Greed, pride and envy are powerful forces within the heart,
and not many people are willing to abandon their worldly goals and, by faith,
follow Jesus.
But the promise still stands. Jesus
promises to provide all the necessary things to those who put God’s Kingdom,
and God’s righteousness first. With this kind of promise, who needs a ‘get
rich’ scheme?
(All Bible verses quoted are from
the King James, with some alterations to improve the sense and meaning. Readers
are encouraged to read the Bible and check all references for themselves. I
recommend that all references be looked up and the context found.)