In my book, Money Mastery, I teach on my Triple X Factor, which is a blueprint for building wealth, even if you’re starting with nothing. There are three steps, or levels, which are symbolized by three x’s. At the Third X, you have multiple assets, and you are thinking about growing and preserving wealth. But, if you join with God on this wealth adventure, the big picture is making a kingdom impact and seeing people, cities, and nations transformed.
I believe that the purpose of wealth is to bring the kingdom of heaven on earth. How do you do that? You put your money where your morals are.
How to Have a Kingdom Impact through Investing
The Foolishness of Bigger Barns
In Luke 12, Jesus tells the parable of a man with great wealth. Here’s how it goes:
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16-21
I use this parable all the time in my teaching because Jesus is telling you the purpose of wealth. God himself is laying out how we ought to live, and I think we ought to listen. This life isn’t about how much money you can accumulate for yourself, and all the cool things you can spend it on. Instead of building bigger barns for yourself, you can choose to partner with God for a kingdom impact. My prayer, as well as yours, should always be “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
The Hierarchy of Needs
Now that we know what we are to use our wealth for, the question is how do we use it to that end? Have you ever heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need? If you haven’t, I find it really interesting because it gives us an idea of how people work from the bottom up. The idea is that people have needs that should be met in a particular order. Therefore, if their primary needs are not being met, they won’t fully understand having their secondary needs met.
Here is the order: physiological needs (breathing, water, food, sleep), safety (security of employment, a home, health), love/belonging (friendship, family, spouse), esteem (confidence, respect of others, receiving respect from others), and finally self-actualization (a sense of morality, creativity, spiritual and emotional wellness).
You don’t have to be at the third x in order to help provide these for other people. Wherever you are at, I hope this has provided some direction for you in having a kingdom impact. Physical needs and spiritual needs are important. It can never be done one without the other.
Kingdom Impact Investing
In Money Mastery, I go deeper into the Triple X Factor and the big HOW of kingdom impact investing. Once you secure a barn for yourself, I encourage you to give all of your money away past your second x. This can be through donations, businesses or actions you take yourself, or through investing. A good rule of thumb is to learn to live off of 70-80% of your income.
We are looking for a spiritual return, not just a financial return. That is why I started my microfinance company, Tricord Global. As an investor, you sow your money in and you receive 4-8% interest on your investment. Your money gets turned into loan capital for those in developing nations. They receive funds as well as education and training, and the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We call it social impact investing because we are using our wealth for a kingdom impact while we’re still here on Earth.
Find a social cause you can invest in because after all, the purpose of wealth is to partner with God.
Did the idea of kingdom impact investing stir something in you? For the next few weeks, we are accepting new investors for Tricord Global, my microfinance organization. You can be apart of something bigger. You can click here for more information or contact my staff at (720) 989-0224 or contact@tricordglobal.com
