Train2Invest - Money & Wealth

Money is a tool, a trial and a test!

If you want to expose a man’s true character, give him access to large sums of money. Money reveals the heart of a man and the quality of his character.

“….but money answereth all things.” Ecclesiastes 10:19 i.e. Money explains everything:

The poor want it;
The rich horde it.
It will control those who cannot control it
It will destory those who love it

YET it is necessary for life and is required for living. The average man works for it, but the wise man makes it for him!

TRAIN2INVEST teaches families to make their money work for them!

Wealth isn’t about money alone. It’s about people, relationships, values, doing well by doing good, and certainly about family. Wealth is a GIFT – that needs to be safeguarded, nurtured and shared productively for the benefit of family and others. Each family and each individual has its own values and unique circumstances relating to wealth management.

Every family owns three forms of capital, and most people easily grasp the concept of financial capital, which consists of hard assets they can point to—property, securities, cash, and so on. Yet many families don’t understand that their most precious forms of capital are the human (the members of the family) and the intellectual (the family’s knowledge). The three forms of a family’s capital are intertwined. The well-being of family members, working toward a common goal of success for each individual and for the family as a whole, will be enhanced by the knowledge its members cultivate. From the start, a wealth creator’s intellectual capital breeds his success in amassing financial capital. Thereafter, the human capital of the family must continue to be developed to sustain unity and harmony, leading to the acquisition of more intellectual capital. This cycle helps the family grow and retain its financial wealth. If the family fails to sustain its human and intellectual capital, the financial capital usually plummets. Failure to prepare and educate heirs about money—which is essentially paying attention to the human and intellectual aspects of a family’s capital—can have disastrous results. Heirs with little or no connection to how the money was earned will likely either adopt an attitude of fear toward the wealth or use it to satisfy their individual whims. In either case, the wealth will be wasted.

When a family understands its common purpose, members begin to build a legacy that is inclusive and supportive of individual as well as family goals, further strengthening the unit.

Definition of Stewardship

Stewardship is God-centered living.

The focus of the faithful steward is the Master; and the goal of the faithful steward is to bring glory to Him.

The opposite of God-centered living is self-centered living.

Of what am I a steward?

The short answer is: everything!

TRAIN2INVEST - The SEVEN "T"s!

Time. This is the great equalizer, every minute, every second. All humanity gets 24 hours a day; no more, no less.

Talent. Both acquired and natural.

Treasure. Money, possessions, property, etc.

People often ask, "If stewardship is not about money, why do stewardship people talk so much about it?" It's because there's probably no area of our lives that has more of an impact on us than on our attitudes and actions towards finances and possessions. Billy Graham said, "If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area of his life."

Money is what we get in return for our time and talents. A formula goes like this: Time + Talent = Money. Much of our life is focused on getting, spending, saving, giving, and investing. It is the single greatest competitor with God, for our attention.

"Money has great value," wrote Ellen White, "because it can do great good. In the hands of God's children it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, and clothing for the naked. It is a defense for the oppressed, and a means of help to the sick. But money is of no more value than sand, only as it is put to use in providing for the necessities of life, in blessing others, and advancing the cause of Christ"

Temple. Our physical and mental dimensions (see 1 Cor. 6:19, 20)-our bodies, minds, senses, thoughts, words, and actions. Issues of recreation, health, reading, television, and entertainment surface here.

Testimony. This reflects our spiritual dimension and salvation story; our view of God. The apostle Paul wrote: "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1).

Ties. This is our social dimension; family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, church family-the people in our lives.

The Kingdom. The Scriptures, the law, gospel, great commission, our duty to others, etc.

Once we acknowledge that God owns all things and that all decisions have, at their core, stewardship ramifications, we can proceed to develop lives as faithful stewards.

Christian investing entails choices that encompass these principles of stewardship.

Before we can invest, we have to have something to invest. This presents us with the idea of acquisition.

Moses told the Israelites, "But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth" (Deut. 8:18, NIV).

All education, all training, and the resulting work are all designed to help us produce wealth for the purpose of serving God and assisting the work of His kingdom. God gives us the talent for producing MONEY AND WEALTH, it's a sin to neglect this talent.

All stewards must have a God-focused, heaven-inspired investment mentality. Some suggest that there is something inherently spiritual about poverty. The Bible does not support that. Prosperity is spiritual and scriptural; it's how we use our prosperity that's the challenge.

When Jesus said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (Luke 18:24, NIV), He was simply saying it is hard for the rich to be saved, not impossible. This is a great caution to all who are wealthy to keep their perspective on God and His kingdom (by global standards that includes virtually all of us who live in North America). This is why our focus must be on God and His kingdom

The word "investment," like stewardship, is one of those words that immediately conjures up visions of stocks, bonds, real estate, mutual funds, RRSPs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and so on.

Jesus said: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:19-21, NIV).

"You can't take it with you," they say. But Jesus seems to be saying, "You can send it on ahead!" Paul makes it very clear in his comments to Timothy: "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (1 Tim. 6:17-19, NIV).

The great danger in acquisition is selfishness; the antidote for selfishness is giving to God-centered purposes.

Christian investing is not just about money: it is about God's kingdom - priorities. One writer suggests, "If you have enough food, wear decent clothes, live in a home that shields you from the weather, and own some kind of reliable transportation, you are in the top 15 percent of the world's wealthy. Add some savings, a hobby like hunting or fishing that requires equipment, two cars (any condition), a variety of clothing and your own house, and you have reached the top 5 percent."*

Every day is full of investment decisions. For instance, when we go to the grocery store, what we buy is an investment in our health. Our recreation and entertainment choices nourish body and soul. When we enroll our children in church school, we make an investment decision regarding their eternal welfare. People invest in skills that will make them more productive, planning a life that will produce income and provide greater opportunities for their families and give more to God's kingdom. When we give tithes and offerings, we are investing in God's kingdom through the church. It's all a matter of priorities.

Here are some basic stewardship principles to remember in your financial investing life plan:

1. Accept Christ as both Lord and Savior. The beginning of Christian investing is to become God-centered. Dedicate every area of your life to His service. Jesus said, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matt. 6:33, NIV).

2. Pray for divine wisdom and the help of the Holy Spirit. All planning begins on our knees, as close to the cross as we can get. "If any of you lacks wisdom," said the apostle, "he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).

3. Study Bible principles. There are more than 2,600 texts in the Bible dealing with money or money-management principles-more than faith, prayer, love, and peace. It's an important topic, and God has given ample guidance for us. Read the books of Proverbs and 2 Corinthians for starters.

4. Work with integrity and excellence. God has only one method for supporting the work of His kingdom: His people using their skills (both acquired and natural) to work with excellence and honesty. They are paid for their work: they, in turn, return to Him tithe and offerings as He blesses them. Then the cycle continues.

5. Develop a heavenly mentality; be truly Christian. Focus on heaven and eternity. "You need ever to cultivate spirituality, because it is not natural for you to be heavenly-minded"

6. Give tithes and offerings. You need the blessing of God along with wisdom from above to live a life that will honor your Creator, provide for yourself and your family, and support God's kingdom.

7. Plan to save. Don't just prepare a budget: make one that includes savings. Attend the Train2Invest Program & learn true financial management, not just budgeting.

8. Be debt-free. Make a list of every debt, from the largest to the smallest pay-off amount. Next, concentrate on paying off the smallest outstanding debt. When it is paid off, go to the next one on your list and use the amounts saved from the previous debt to accelerate payments on the next one, etc. Once your consumer debt is paid off (including automobiles), focus on the mortgage. Once that is paid off, put the amount of your mortgage payment into your retirement plan.

9. Get educated about life and its details. www.TRAIN2INVEST.COM Our decisions, based on knowledge, help us protect God's goods.

10. Have an investment plan. Begin saving for your children's education when they are born. Then, when they are school age, you will be "well planned" for their education needs. Someone once said of parents, "We are not responsible for our children's choices, but we are responsible for their training."

11. Have a retirement plan. Start now, not later. Use compound interest and time to your advantage. The younger you are when you start, the more interest you earn, and the faster your retirement funds will grow.

There are only two kinds of stewards: faithful and unfaithful. When Jesus told His disciples to store up treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20), He was assuming that His listeners would be faithful stewards of the material and spiritual riches He was about to bestow.

Those same principles are as true now as they were then; just as firmly grounded on God's wisdom, love, and faithfulness. Our present happiness in doing God's will is but a dim reflection of the glories He has reserved for those who serve Him faithfully as good stewards.

AMEN?