Wise Wealth 

Excerpts from "Wisdom Hunters" by Boyd Bailey

“A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.” Psalm 49:20

• The wealthy wisely seek to understand God’s game plan for their gold. They prayerfully come up with a plan, and then commit their actions to the Almighty. Then He brings success to their financial plan (Proverbs 16:3). 
• Plans without prayer are perturbing and miss God’s best. Actions committed to Christ carry out God’s game plan. To gain understanding is to frame your financial discussions with an eternal backdrop of motivation. Wealth is a stewardship not to be taken lightly. It is a belief that the Lord’s blessing is much larger than life, and is leveraged for the Lord today. 
• Understand that finances are finite. You have a window of generosity that will close one day. Don’t wait until your riches grow wings and fly away (Proverbs 23:5) to some other faithful soul who understands the insignificance of “stuff” to your Savior. Riches are like hailstones; they fall from Heaven in different sizes, garnering our attention while rattling on the tin roof of our trust. But after a while, once it draws attention to itself, it melts away into the silent ground, gone. The same is true with our “stuff”. It can be here today and gone tomorrow. It is wise to give aggressively what you have today instead of hoping to give what you may not have tomorrow. 
• Missionaries need malaria medicine now. Orphans need homes today. Growling stomachs need more than gruel immediately. Churches are waiting to receive the necessary start-up capital in order to be built. Humanitarian work and the Gospel will spread exponentially, as the wealthy collaborate with Christ, and obey. Run the risk of liberating your wealth for the Lord. It is His to give. 
• God has made us to be kind, not beastly, in our view of wealth. Animals are driven by self-preservation and instinct. But we are children of our heavenly Father. He is gracious and generous in bestowing His good gifts (Matthew 7:9-11). He uses wealth for His ways; so you are wise to do the same. Sanctify your “stuff” for your Savior. Look to the Lord for where and how to save, invest, spend, and give. 
• Beasts perish with little purpose. You graduate to be with God. At your commencement with Christ, you want to be found financially faithful. The wise use of wealth supports eternal initiatives. Wise wealth does not intimidate, nor is it intimidated. It prayerfully releases riches for God’s Kingdom. It is all about investing in and executing the Almighty’s agenda. Wise wealth wraps itself around God’s redemptive plan through faith. It understands and applies God’s generous game plan.