What the Bible REALLY says about wealth

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Hey, hope you're well. I know I promised you a new YT video this week. It's a little delayed but still coming. Apologies for that.Also, I'm having eye surgery today and I'm told that after my surgery, I should basically be in a dark room for the next week recovering 😬...not looking forward to that, so would also appreciate your prayers that all goes well with surgery and recovery.Here's your digest for this week. Hope you find these, inspiring and encouraging.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

This will be the first part of a 2 part series discussing the seemingly oppositional ideas of Contentment and Ambition.Today we’ll focus on ambition.(it's a lengthy read, approx. 8 minutes, so grab a coffee and settle in ☕️) So the other day, I saw a very popular Christian influencer post something about always being content, wherever you are, with whatever you have.As I was watching it, I thought to myself “Yea, the Bible does in fact say ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain”.Then this influencer went on to talk about how he sees a lot of people on the internet talking about building businesses and growing wealth, but he just feels like more people need to talk about just being content, even if all they can afford to do is just pay their bills, and basically survive.Now I want to be careful with my words, because yes that is part of the Bible.But the irony of watching this video was that this influencer was saying this in front of his million dollar house.So it really struck me as odd and interesting because even though the Bible does talk about contentment, it also says things like, “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” Ecclesiastes 9:10.The Bible also says “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” Colossians 3:23-24.Now that passage doesn’t specify what exactly that inheritance/reward is (it may or may not be material success), but that passage is reminding us to work hard and work diligently, because ultimately we’re working for God, even above our employers or customers.Incidentally, when you work that way - with God as primary - you end up by default providing excellent service to others which often manifests as material success but we’ll get to that next week.At any rate, there’s also the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, where upon examination, part of the message in this passage is working honestly and diligently with the intent to multiply that which was given to you.We’re reminded in that passage that it’s not about how much you have or how much you were given. Rather, it’s what did you do, to grow that which was given to you.And there are many more passages that speak to this concept of ambition to grow your resources as not being an inherently bad thing.So when I consider this reality - the Bible’s encouragement of Godly ambition - what struck me as most odd about this influencer’s post, was the fact that this person is very financially successful by earthly standards and has accomplished a lot. There’s nothing wrong with that by the way.Worse yet, (this is the part that truly irritated me), for the many years I’ve followed this influencer, RARELY have I ever heard him speak about this other side of working to multiply and grow your resources (which he’s clearly done).More often than not, the message is “be happy, be content with what you have.”So now I ask; Why is that?Why focus so much on only one side?Why not teach us how you did it?How are you remaining content and yet levelling up financially?And I know enough about business and the industry this influencer operates in to know that financial growth doesn’t happen passively.There is an intentionality to your way of thinking, of being, of carrying yourself that is required in order to achieve the level of financial success that he’s achieved.So ultimately, I don’t find the message of “just be happy and content to just be able to pay your bills” as a holistically Biblical message of how we are to manage our relationship with money.I don’t believe that’s helpful. Because it’s incomplete.As it relates to money, the Bible says both;The Bible says you should learn to be faithful with little because then God can bless you with more.The Bible encourages you to be ambitious however, cautions that your ambition not be self-centered.If you don’t believe me, here are some scriptures that speak positively about wealth, and ambition;“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” - Prov. 10: 4“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” - Prov. 21:5“Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.” - Prov. 21:20“Go to the ant, O sluggard;  consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief,  officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” Prov. 6:6-8“For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.” - Ecclesiastes 7:12“Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God” - Ecclesiastes 5:19And there are so many more passages, not to mention wealthy Biblical figures in both the Old and New Testament. Abraham, Job (pre and post trial), Lydia in Acts 16 and so many more.I hope I haven’t lost you….I hope I’m showing you that God does not inherently have an issue with wealth.This is important to understand because many have a warped view of money and wealth.And when that view is tied to a false view of Christianity, you are setting yourself up for poverty.  Even worse, a poverty that is not God-ordained.Dare I say, at worst, it can even be a sinful poverty that is brought about by laziness and complacency, or at best a poverty that is brought about by Biblical ignorance.See there’s danger in focusing on only one side of what the Bible has to say about any given issue.And this topic of money, contentment and ambition is no different.Personally speaking, I’m passionate about this because by only listening to that perspective (be content and don’t want too much) without the counterbalance, I spent many years feeling guilty about being ambitious.Feeling guilty about trying to do more than just survive.Feeling condemned for trying to strive beyond the poverty of my immigrant upbringing.When my family moved from Nigeria to Toronto, I saw my father work around the clock only to end up still struggling.I saw him go from working as the head of HR for a national bank in Nigeria to working overnight security just to keep the lights on and food on the table.I saw him earnestly working to be a great provider and father, when he would fall asleep while listening to me sharing my heart because he had just pulled a triple shift between his 3 jobs.And I knew there had to be more.So this desire to do better than my upbringing somehow made me feel guilty because I only listened to the “don’t strive too hard” guys.The most ironic part being, many of the proponents of this one-sided view already being financially well off.They have their houses, cottages, vacation homes, investments and retirement plans.It’s really saddening.Also, aside from the feeling of guilt for dreaming big and wanting more, another consequence of only hearing this “be content” side is how it makes you view yourself.It psychologically conditions you to see yourself as inferior to the proponents of this side.Whether or not that is their intention, it is often an outcome.If you somehow find yourself in a position to start interacting with these kinds of people (as I have been), you will often see yourself as inferior because based on their message, you’re supposed to have a humble, “I shouldn't want too much”, “I shouldn’t be too ambitious” “I should just be grateful to be here” kind of attitude.The result being, not being able to recognize the value you bring to the table, assert yourself and call your own shots.At least that was my situation….until I snapped out of it through actually studying and learning what the Bible has to say about contentment AND ambition.So yes it really struck me as disingenuous that this individual tends to exclusively focus on the contentment side of the conversation when that person themselves is very ambitious and has achieved A LOT of earthly success.So if I could ask this person a few questions, I would ask the followng;At a time where there’s more economic disparity and uncertainty than ever…When inflation and the cost of things are the highest they’ve ever been…When the wealth gap is wider than it’s ever been…At a time where it seems like the powers that be are working to take more control of resources…Knowing what you know about business and ambition, and growth, instead of continually telling people to be happy with simply being able to survive, why not choose to teach and educate others on how to do the same thing you’ve done?Personally, I need and want to know the full scope of what the Bible teaches about wealth creation.I want to learn how this influencer balances contentment with ambition....because clearly, he’s attempting to do both.I just don’t believe the single-sided message is right.And again, it’s not that the message is wrong, it’s just incomplete.So I would charge him to share the knowledge and not to gatekeep it.Now I can hear some of you say, what about the other side of what the Bible has to say about this topic?Doesn’t it warn against greed?I’ll address this in next week’s newsletter.Then I will attempt to provide you a framework that I believe reconciles both - being highly ambitious and deeply content.See you next week.

VIDEO I ENJOYED THIS WEEK

Scared to Get Into Content Creation?

There's this idea that "content" is only for professional creators or those wanting to start a business. While this can be true, content is the new currency for almost any kind of advancement in your career, relationships, etc. So for some, it's not Tik Tok. Maybe it's a more professional platform like LinkedIN, which can help you land a new job or expand your professional network. The point is, no matter who you are, in today's world, creating content of some kind is rarely a bad thing, In fact, as your public resume, almost as a requirement, many look you up online first before connecting directly with you.Watch by clicking the image.

SONG I ENJOYED THIS WEEK

Ruger - I Want Peace

I'll be honest, I don't like the album. But I like this song. Smooth, emotive and relatable Afrobeats. Enjoy.Listen now by clicking the image.

That's it for this week.Love you,ShopéP.S. New song coming in September. Pre-save all my future releases HERE. You'll only ever had to do this once.P.P.S. Don't forget to my latest YT video If You Feel Lost - Watch This (How To Find Your Purpose)

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