Wisdom Wednesday

Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor
    amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

Proverbs 28:8

Nearly 50% of Aussies invest in the stock market. If you include superannuation funds - it would be approximately 95%.

How about you? Do you invest in stocks? Or would you?

On the one hand, Christians might say that investing is wise and a good way for people to generate wealth that then enables them to be even more generous.
On the other - some might argue that investing in stocks is a form of gambling and inevitably leads to a potential love or worry about money.

There’s an additional ethical question too. It’s not about investing full stop - but what we invest in. Full disclosure, I do own stocks, and my first stock was in an oil company. And it was going up. But I ended up selling the stock - not because of climate change but because the company was doing some dodgy stuff in a developing country.

Many people who invest in stocks rarely seek to do their due diligence or maybe would like to but can’t find the information in order to do an ethical check on their stocks. 

It’s fair to say that the Bible doesn’t directly speak to investing. But certainly speaks to issues that deeply connect with the concept of investment. Here is a few thoughts:

1. Investing is a way to contribute to the good of society. Most medical improvements we enjoy would not have been invented without investors.
2. Investing can lead to greater generosity - but you would want to check your heart on this. Are you generous now? Will you be more generous?
3. Investing can be very dangerous - be wary of checking stocks daily. Talk to people who know what they are doing. Do your research or employ someone else who will. Develop a strategy and follow it.
4. No amount of money/wealth generation is worth wandering from the faith.

With that fourth point in mind. Let me leave you with Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 6:9-10

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

For Today:

• Do you think investing is ethical?
• How do you go with being generous with what you have?
• How could you protect yourself from the love of money?

Pray: Praise the Father that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills - it’s His money. Give thanks for Jesus who rejected the riches of this life for the greatest good. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others be wise with the money God has entrusted to you.