Investing is Biblical

Greetings, friends!! This week we are going to take a little bit of a new perspective on investing. That is, we’re going to talk about investing from the biblical perspective. Many people view the world of finance as separate from their spiritual beliefs, but there is a profound connection between the two, and in my opinion, we should not only understand this perspective as parents but we should also teach these lessons to our kiddos. Let’s explore the wisdom of the Bible and its relevance to modern-day investing.

The Parable of the Talents

One of the most well-known biblical passages related to investing is the Parable of the Talents found in the book of Matthew (Matthew 25:14-30). The Parable of the Talents begins with a master who entrusts his wealth to his servants before embarking on a journey. To one servant, he gives five talents (a unit of money in biblical times), to another, he entrusts two talents, and to the last, he gives one talent. The master's intention is for them to invest and grow his wealth during his absence.

Two of the servants, the recipients of five and two talents, diligently invested their gifts and doubled the amounts they were given. However, the third servant, who received one talent, buries it in the ground for fear of losing it. Upon the master's return, he commends the first two servants for their faithful stewardship, saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things."

However, the third servant's inaction and fear provoke a different response from the master. He rebukes him, declaring, "You wicked and lazy servant!" The one talent he possessed is taken away and given to the servant with ten talents. The moral of the story is clear: we are called to be good stewards of the resources and opportunities entrusted to us. In the context of investing, this parable highlights the importance of wisely using our financial resources and not letting fear prevent us from growing them.

The servants in the story take what they have been given and multiply it. They don’t take it in, pay all the expenses, and then hope they have something left. They take it, go out, and make more because of it. They are given an “income” and they minus the investments first. They “pay themselves first” in a sense. They have prioritized the investments, not the expenses.

One other huge lesson here that we can’t pass up is that at the end of the parable, the master gives more to the faithful servants who were able to use their talents to go out and make more because of what they were given. This lesson illustrates that God will entrust you with more when He sees that you can handle the things you have already been given.

Lastly, don’t miss the fact that the servant who was given just a little, just one talent, is fearful. I think this is very common and very relatable. Those who didn’t grow up with much or those who scrape by every week financially, in my opinion, are much more likely to hold the little that they do have close to them and want to “bury” it or hide it for fear of losing it. However, this is just truly wasting it. This is true for a talent that someone may not want to display because they are fearful or it could be money that they don’t want to give away or invest because they are afraid they won’t get it back. BUT, hiding and hoarding money or talents helps no one. Teach your kiddos that they can be proud of the much or the little that they have been given and they are called to share, give, and invest their talents and money.

I don’t know about you but I want my kids to know and understand these teachings. I want them to understand that money and spirituality should be intertwined. I want them to know that they can look to the bible for guidance when it comes to all things - money included. I want them to understand that money and their God-given talents and abilities are to be used and multiplied and I want them to know that when they show they can handle and use the things God has blessed them with, they will be entrusted with more.

Have an EXCELLENT and BLESSED week!

Amanda