Money Doesn't Make a Man

True enough. It is not the most important thing in this world. You can have a simple life without having so much money in your bank account. You can live a day without having a fat wallet. You can survive a week with only a few hundreds in your pocket.

Money can't make a man. It simply cannot. You can be a man or a "manster" depending on how you use it.

Because money simply can't buy happiness. True happiness comes from within. The level of contentment you have determines your happiness.

Happiness means having a meaningful life. A meaningful life means having a life following Jesus. And Jesus's way is becoming a servant. And becoming a servant means sacrificing for others. And sacrificing for others mean enduring all the pain. And these pains will keep you strong as a person. And being a person means being a man.

But sacrificing doesn't mean you have to be poor. Jesus is not poor. It can be manifested by the robe He wore. A priest told me that.

I love brother Bo's quote on money.

He says, "Money is not the most important thing in this world. But money affects the most important things in your life."

For example your health. Health is wealth. You have to take care of yourself. You have to nourish your body with nutritious foods. But we should always remember that most sickness comes when we are old. That is why we have to prepare. Without money you will not be able to go to the hospital and see a doctor.

Having a lot of money doesn't necessarily mean you have to boast about it. If you are wealthy, it is your responsibility to share it.

There are two ways to share. One, give money to the needy. Give donations. Give gifts. But giving doesn't solve the problem. The second way of sharing is teaching them. Teaching other people how to have abundance is better than giving them money. Donations can only last for a few days while education can give them lifetime abundance.

Do not be a slave of money. Always remember that money is not your boss. Spend some time to execute a financial plan but don't overdo it. Your time should be well spent. Time lost is lost forever. Time should be spent with the most important things in your life - your family, friends and of course God.

Money is just a tool in accomplishing your financial goals. But it cannot determine you as a person.

Man should be the boss. He makes financial decisions. He makes the calls. Money should follow him. Money should move according to his decisions. It should not be the other way around.

See? Money cannot make a man. Because it is man who makes money.

~till then

Time is Non-refundable

Time is non-refundable. This is one lesson I learned with my mentors.

One tick: Grade School

One tick: High School

One tick: College

One tick: Working

One tick: Married

One tick: Children

One tick: 50’s (no retirement fund)

One tick: 60’s (still working or is supported by children)

One tick: Death

Did you ever ask yourself, "what happened to my life for the past years?" Am I saving enough money for my family? Am I investing enough for my retirement?

Saving money should not be delayed. It is a responsibility we have to take. It is a must that we save money before it’s too late.

If you will not plan and just let time pass you by then you will probably have the same cycle above.

Most people people don’t plan to fail. They just failed to plan.

~till then

On Sacrifice and Finances as told by the Bible

Proverbs 21:17 Those who love pleasure become poor; those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.

Please do not take these words literally.

Think of it this way. If you buy things you don’t need and buy them just to show off then I think the message is clear. It also emphasizes that we should live within our means. Affordability is subjective. What is affordable to you may not be affordable to me and vice versa.

~till then

On Religion and Finances

Many religious people are afraid to talk about richness because they feel money is “evil”. They think it is a sin to have riches and wealth. They think they are going against the teachings of the Bible.

Here are a few questions I have in mind. Doesn’t God want me to be rich? Doesn’t God want me to be wealthy? Is this a form of suffering I have to take in order to enter the kingdom of God? Is God a God of suffering then?

According to the teachings of the Bible, God wants us to be rich. Actually there are many teachings in the Bible on becoming wealthy.

On Matthew 25 Parable of the Talents

The Parable of the Talents

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

The man with the two talents also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)

FYI: At those times, talent means money.

From this parable, Jesus teaches us about the value of investing. He entrusted us money so it is our responsibility to put it to good use and make more of it.

From the story, the master gave his servants talents depending on his ability. And so is God. God gave us riches depending on our ability. God will not give us something that we cannot manage. The servant who was given five talents proved that he is worthy of what was given to him. The servant who was given two talents proved that he is worthy also. But the person who was given one talent was too afraid to learn how he can use the talent to gain another talent. He hid the money on the ground and was reprimanded by doing so.

At present there are a lot of people who are more like the third servant. They do not know what to do with their money. They think they are not accountable on what they have right now. In the last part of the parable the master gathered his servants and made them accountable.

Lessons:

God trusts us with our abilities and capabilities.

God will give us wealth and richness depending on our capabilities.

Investment is a long time process. And so the parable says, “After a long time…”

Rewards will be given to those who are faithful.

Be faithful on small things so that you will become trust worthy of many things.

It is not how big or how small your money is. The most important thing is you have done your part to serve the master. Notice from the story that the first two servants shared the happiness of the master even if the other just gained two talents.

God reprimands the foolish and the lazy.

The master took away the talent of the foolish and lazy servant and gave it to the person who had ten talents.

Is it still a mystery to you why the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer?

~till then

Lust of Money is the Root of all Evil

Will you oppose me if I say, “Lust of money is the root of all evil.”?

Lust is defined as an intense longing or craving of something. If you have an intense longing or craving for money to the extent that you will do anything to have more of it then I think you have a problem.

Money alone is not evil. Money is a tool we use everyday. We use it to buy our needs. We use it to trade. We use it to help other people.

Money can be good or bad depending on how you use it.

I oppose the people who say love of money is the root of all evil. Love is a positive word. You can love money because it is entrusted to you by God. But never lust for it. Remember, money is not yours to keep. Money is entrusted to you to help the needy, to keep your faith to God and to make your life more pleasant. What was given to you will be taken back at the end of times so use it wisely.

~till then