There are two facets of financial wealth: maximizing Return on Investment (ROI) and Preservation of Wealth (PW). In Biblical terms, we are to focus on life (PW) and the living (ROI). Dying equates to losing money and death equates to a complete loss. We must keep our focus on life and the living and discern the difference between life and death in every facet of our walk. As an example. for decades we all assumed that our home would appreciate in value thus we leveraged ourselves to buy the most house our income would support. We expected appreciation of value and were comfortable in maximizing our leverage. As the Fed lowered interest rates which effectively lowered the monthly house payment, they facilitated more expensive home sales. They tempted borrowers to maximize their leverage beyond their ability to ever repay the principal amount of the loan. They sacrificed the “Preservation of Wealth” aspect for the expected “Return on Investment”. You must keep these two facets in balance or you will shift towards death and dying.
The same is true for revelation. Wealth represents life and ROI represents growth or the living. Churches die when the revelation that built their congregation becomes tradition. They failed to invest their time pursuing greater revelation and became complacent and began the death march. How can you tell what path a group of people are on? Become a fruit inspector and look at the fruit.
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness” is a well known Scripture among Christians. Judah was given the scepter representing the King and Joseph was given the birthright or inheritance. Joseph’s sons were given prophetic names representing this reality: Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh = "causing to forget"; Ephraim = "double ash-heap: I shall be doubly fruitful". Why must we seek the Kingdom? It is because we have forgotten the fruitfulness of the Kingdom. We accepted our assignment before we entered into the womb (that’s a whole other topic in itself). But now we are to seek this Kingdom of fruitfulness. If we do, there is no need to be concerned about tomorrow for the daily fruit will sustain us just as the manna did in the wilderness. Once we leave this wilderness, there will be no more need for the manna.
The manna was given to test their hearts for lawfulness (Exodus 16:4). The manna was given as a daily provision and could not be hoarded. They were to focus on “today” rather than the future. Each day there were tested for lawfulness and their stewardship. They needed to learn that to be good stewards, they must focus on what they were given for that day rather than always living and focusing on the future. Men are always wanting to work a deal with Our Heavenly Father. “God, if you will financially prosper me, I will fund the Gospel.” In the meantime, needs all around them go unmet. If you want to fund the Gospel then be a good steward over what you have been given. Complete the project in front of you and show your Heavenly Father that you can be trusted with a small project so that HE can send you a larger project. Men tend to run to and fro looking for that one deal which will make them rich, bypassing those small projects that will lead them to the road of success. Be fruitful in what you have been given and trust Our Heavenly Father to expand your “tent”.
Excessive leverage is an attempt to bypass stewardship and catapult you to a higher net worth. Greed kicks in and ultimately brings you back to a financial position worse than before you started. Be of good cheer, Our Heavenly Father does not want to punish you but to prove and test you by revealing what is in your heart. Once you see your error, you can then begin to build wealth on a solid foundation and become the blessing to others you were meant to be.
Have you been given a small project and failed to deliver? If so, repent and complete it… even if it means you won’t make a profit. By doing this, you establish a basis by which Our Heavenly Father can trust you with a larger project. Anybody can start a project but only good stewards finish it. This is the best return on investment and wisest means to preserve your “capital”.