A net worth calculation is a measuring stick to see how successful your financial plan or lack of a financial plan has been for you. Net worth is the value of all your assets minus the amount of all your liabilities. Assets are the items you own. Liabilities are debts you owe someone else for material goods, services, or loans. Monetary net worth gives you an idea of how far into the future you could pay current monthly expenses and debt payments if income from your employment or business stopped coming in.
This measurement is necessary for long-term and short-term planning because you never know what may happen. Even when you are a Christian, negative financial situations, emergencies, hardships, and catastrophes will happen in your life. Planning for them by managing your money according to biblical financial principles will help you weather the storms of adversity and allow the blessing of God upon your life no matter what the enemy means for bad.
Many Christians think that accumulating debt violates scriptural instruction, faith, and trust in God. However, they fail to realize that many of the Christian patriarchs and matriarchs accumulated great sums of wealth throughout their lives (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, Esther, Ruth, David, Job, Daniel, and others. In addition, a number of people mentioned as godly servants in the New Testament accumulated great sums of money (Joseph of Arimethea, Zacchaeus, Chuza wife of Herod’s steward, Barnabas, Cornelius the Centurion, Lydia (seller of purple), Philemon, etc.).
Only one time did Jesus Christ tell a man to sell all that he accumulated. According to Jesus explanation to the disciples afterward, this man would have received greater wealth in this life and in eternity after giving away everything and following Jesus. Thus, we do not find scriptural instruction against being wealthy. Rather, we find scripture commanding God’s people to be faithful, responsible, industrious, productive, and good managers of the money and resources God entrusts to us. In addition, He commands that we not love money nor hasten to be rich as these attitudes lead to a great fall.
The scripture further admonishes those who are wealthy to be rich (in proportion to their incomes and assets) toward God, His church, His ministry, and His people. Christians that have very little to give usually give very little. This doesn’t make them less Christian, but the reason they lack ability to give abundantly over the long-term is not because God didn’t want them to prosper financially. Usually, poverty or an unwillingness to give as God commanded is based on their failure to properly manage their working lives to produce 30, 60, or 100 fold beyond what they have been initially entrusted with.
When you start to understand that we cannot out give God, you understand why current day faithful Christians that have accumulated great wealth are not an abomination to God but rather a blessing to the church and people. Through dedication to obeying Him by consistently using biblical money management principles, God begins to pour out more money and other resources that you are able to give more to ministry work than people who may be in a similar income category. In many instances, those with the mind of Christ may have an ability to purchase opulence, yet the priority of their lives is to enjoy fellowship with the Lord, find the center of His will and their purpose, and help fund ministry to lead the hearts of men to Jesus Christ.
When you are tempted to believe that wealth accumulation is ungodly consider what the bible truly says and shows. Also, consider the fact that you spend far more on your desires than you are willing to forego in order to give more to spread the gospel. You matter to God and He wants your life to be abundant in every way including financially. When you manage your life and money according to God’s holy standards this produces continual increase that blesses you and others.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 13:2, Job 42:12, Luke 19:2-10, 1Timothy 6:17-19, James 5:1-6
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