If our spiritual life is so important, why don’t we tap into our spiritual realm more often to reach our financial goals? For some unknown reason, some of us hesitate to associate money with spiritual matters. Is it that money, we assume, doesn’t mix well with God?
Frankly, it’s quite ironic to think that God has nothing to do with money, considering the fact that He is the source of all wealth, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment as well as for us to bless others through our generous giving (1 Timothy 6:17-18). Remember that Abraham---revered as their “patriarch” by Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike--- was one of the wealthiest men in the world of his time. He was undoubtedly a billionaire by today’s standard because he was very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold. Similarly, it was said that Job was the greatest man among all the peoples in the east: he owned 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, and a large number of servants. These material blessings were not a curse, but a reward for his honest business dealings and life of integrity.
Someone once said, “God knows where the gold is.” If you think about it, He probably also knows which stocks are going to go up tomorrow, which real estate is bound to double in value in the next five years, and which business ideas are destined to make some deserving millionaires ten years from now. So, seek God and allow Him to show you where you can discover the abundance of wealth.
According to Robert G. Allen, the author of several best-selling books on wealth-creation, an enlightened millionaire pursues a principled approach to wealth: First, he commits to avoid any wealth-building activity that harms or impoverishes other people. This means creating wealth in an ethical, honest, and win-win manner. Second, he commits to creating wealth that improves the lives of many people. Third, he operates out of stewardship. His goal is not to amass personal wealth for its own sake, but to ultimately create a perpetual fund to support worthy causes. In other words, your wealth is not just for you (selfishness), but for blessing the lives of many people (selflessness).
An enlightened millionaire knows that giving is the highest form of manifestation of one’s true nature. It is a combination of faith and action. What is the specific act we mean? “Tithing,” says Robert Allen.
What’s tithing, anyway? The word “tithe” simply means a tenth. It refers to giving away a tenth of your income to help others in the name of God. The principle of givingaway a tenth of your income goes all the way back to a time around 2000 B.C., when Abraham felt that it was the properthing for him to give Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had. Later, Jacob also felt the need to give a tenth of his incomes to the Lord. The command to tithe appears throughout the Old Testament and the same is affirmed in the New Testament, too. So farmers gave a tenth of their crops, hunters gave a tenth of their meat, and so on.
Many people in poverty think that your income shrinks when you give a portion of it away (100% - 10% =90%). But all generous people know that giving away a portion of your income actually expands in the spiritual dimension (100% ×10% = 1000%). This is spiritual math---that is, tithing is an income multiplier, not a subtracter.
Why is this? Because giving expands you, adds value to others, and multiplies your income. Just as water exists in three forms---ice, liquid, and vapor---we can think of money as existing in three dimensions: the frozen state (material), liquid state (mental), and the spiritual state. When you give your money away with an attitude of gratitude to God and concern for others, you will feel far less stressful and much more abundant. In this sense, giving thrusts you into the spiritual dimension. And in return, you experience a sense of fulfillment as you know you have made a real and important difference in the lives of other people.
One of the richest men in Australia, the industrialist Peter J. Daniels, said: “You cannot be greedy if you tithe.” It worked for John D. Rockfeller, who was a meticulous tither. It also worked for Sir John Marks Templeton, one of the world’s greatest investors, who is known to have said: “Tithing always gives the greatest return on your investment.” Similarly, we can find a common pattern in the lives of all great givers: the more they gave, the more they got.
Of course, you don’t necessarily give everything away. For example, to give up your source of income would be like killing the “goose that lays the golden eggs.” And this “goose” could be your health, your talent, your job, your business, your investments, or whatever else it is that creates wealth. So, keep your “goose” and nurture it, so that it can provide for you and feeds others as well.
