I have been pondering over the last week, since finishing my finance class what it really means to be wealthy in Christ. Some think it is the acquiring of wealth through serving God. Others think it is the acquiring of wealth to serve God. Even others think it is the acquiring of wealth because they are God’s children reiterating the word that God wants his people to prosper. But none of those things really encapsulates what God’s word is really talking about when God is talking about wealth. I believe the quote below expresses what wealth should mean to a Christian.

But what does this have to do with God’s creative power? Well, when God thought of us it wasn’t after he created the world. In fact, God said in his word that He foreknew us before the foundations of the world. So, that we could be blameless and holy before him. In love he predestined us as sons/daughters for adoption through Jesus Christ to do the purpose of His will (Ephesians 1:4-5, ESV). What is God’s will? Is it to be wealthy? Or is it to serve others as God serves us? I do want to emphasize that wealth in it of itself is not bad, but the intention for wealth is what is in question.

Is your motive for wealth to help self or is it to serve others? God did not create the world just because. Moreover, He created the world because He knew that we would need a place to carry out the plans that he had predestined for us to do. We are always the most important thing to God. Consequently, in the Book of Romans 8:29 we can see that who he foreknew he had already predestined. This means that in God’s divine nature He had already planned everything that anyone would ever do in life to fulfill the destiny that He has for them so, that individuals might be conformed to the image of His son. Additionally, in the Book of Jeremiah God speaks to him and says, “that before He knew him in his mother’s womb” just like God knows each of us, He consecrated him, and appointed him as a prophet to the nations. God spoke a creative word about Jeremiah’s destiny even before he was born. That is definitely creative power. How amazing! God used His creative power to create a life in the womb of Jeremiah’s mother with a plan for his future even before He was born. Comparatively, this is the same creative power that God used to create each of you.

So, since we are created in the image of God; Do we have the same creative power? Although, some may not believe this the word of God tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God with the same creative attributes. Think about all the things individuals have invented. Ben Franklin discovered electricity which later resulted in the creation of the light bulb. Dr. Alexander Fleming discovered mold that had penetrated his Petri dishes. This mold later became known as what was the first antibiotic treatment penicillin. However, these two things had one greater thing in common. They were created to serve others. Any wealth that came of it was purely secondary to the desire to help serve others.

Why talk about this? Because I believe that there are many people out there with a desire not to accumulate wealth but instead the desire to make a difference in the lives of others. By using the gifts and the talents that God has blessed them with they are able to use their creative abilities to serve others. I myself for example am an entrepreneur. I recently felt as though I found my niche. Something that I believe I can use to make a difference in the lives of others. My desire to serve others is primary to my desire for wealth. Wealth comes as a reward from God for serving others. Not that we have any power over it all, but we can control our actions, which should always be to reflect God’s image of serving others.

I have started an online shop where I sell jewelry that is handcrafted from paper. They are beautiful eco-friendly earrings made from paper, with nickel free findings, and so light weight you don’t have to worry about your earlobes sagging. However, the reason for my passion is that I am using my creative power not to obtain wealth but as a way to express my faith in creating something that I hope will serve to increase, inspire, empower, and connect the faith of others.