Lesson
Rule 1: The Rewards of Right Money Management
BY ALEX MIRANDA
My first job out of college was selling cruise vacations. In my first month of selling, they would only give me a couple of leads per day. As I progressed in my sales ability, they would give me a few more.
My sales manager soon realized I was a “selling machine” and he began to pour the leads on me. I was showing Management that they could trust me with more leads, and so they wisely responded by giving me more.
For us entrepreneurs, it works the same way with financial management. When we show God that we can manage the money we’ve been given, He opens up some more money for us. After we show even more ability to manage, He brings more.
Why do we struggle to pay our bills? Why do we live paycheck to paycheck? Why does it seem all the other business owners around us are financially successful while we scrape by to repay our student loans and mounting credit cards?
I believe the answer lies in our LACK of knowledge (ignorance) in managing money properly.
Jesus tells a story of a master who gives 3 servants a chance to manage his money. In the end, here is what the master said to the servant that showed the COMPETENCE to manage the funds correctly:
“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!’ (Matthew 25:21 NIV)
Godpreneur, it’s VERY simple.
There’s a direct correlation between your ability to MANAGE money correctly, and the blessing to receive more of it from our CEO (God).
Like my sales manager was testing me by giving me just a few leads, God uses money as a test of your faithfulness. In fact, money is the only “test” in the bible from God. More than anything in your life, God will use the money to test you, your business, and your faithfulness to Him.
Why? Because it’s the hardest thing we’ll ever do in our business – learning how to manage money God’s way.
This also happens in the financial management industry. If you manage finances, your company will give you bigger accounts to manage the more you show the ability to manage it correctly. And if you can’t manage it correctly, you’re out of a job.
When you manage money God’s way, you feel good. When you feel good, God raises your “money limit” a bit higher and gives you more to manage. And as your limit is raised, you and God will celebrate because you can do more together.
The key here is for your mind to understand that you’re a professional money manager, and God is your client. You’re not serving money, you’re serving God. The money isn’t what’s bringing happiness. Your ability to please God is what brings you joy. And His opening up of more money to manage is where you find satisfaction in hitting your goals.
Jesus said in the bible
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24 NIV)
We Godpreneurs can’t serve both money and God. It’s inefficient. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s out of order. The logical order is that I serve God, and I show competence, and he opens up more money.
We don’t cut the source of the money, we CONNECT to it even more.
It’s not about making more money, it’s about getting more strict on our ability to manage what little (or a lot) has been given to us.
We need to focus on what’s in our possession today and manage it. We need to tell it what to do, not have it rule us. When it rules us, we’re stressed, we’re worried, we’re uptight.
But when we begin to master the art of managing money, the money begins to do what God intended – for it to serve you and the purpose and passion He put in your heart to own and grow a purpose-focused business that ultimately honors God and His intended purposes for humanity.
Godpreneur Money Rule #1: Godpreneurs commit to being the best money managers on the planet.
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