James 2:14-17. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Proverbs 14:23. In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.
How to achieve both spiritual and material abundance? We integrate or combine these words:
Faith and Action
James addresses his readers to combine faith and deeds. As he stated, “…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” He also uses an illustration to make a point, “…supposed a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.” And he added, “…does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” These statements are a clear indication that faith cannot stand alone. It needs action.
To have a spiritual as well as material abundance, one needs to combine faith and action. There is nothing wrong with having a strong faith in the Lord. It is good to grow in our spiritual life. For instance, a believer can pray wholeheartedly asking God’s provision for daily needs but does not do any labor or work. Do you think, the Lord will provide? I don’t think so! The Lord has given us the ability and creativity to work.
It is God’s will for us to grow in faith. After our regeneration, we need to be consistent in our personal devotion. Our prayer and Bible reading should be done on a consistent basis. Do not neglect to have fellowship with fellow Christians. Be always of service to others.
Let us take action. Better financial management and implementing a system are geared toward action. To be wealthy and have financial freedom does not happen when we are just praying and dreaming. We need to take action. What is the system that we need to put into action? T. Harv Eker’s suggestion of what we do be wealthy: earn it, keep it, spend it, and grow it. Craig Hill’s secret to wealth is the system called “The Five Jars.” Your income or any financial sources that you have, put them in five different jars: tithes, offerings, savings, investing, and spending. We are now ready to take action.
Love and Profit
This is a common concept for everyone, “In all labor there is profit…” There is a fruit of every good labor. This is also the main motivation for others why they go to work or run a business. It is called profit.
Now let us combine love and profit. T. Harv Eker said, “I can be kind, generous, loving, and balanced, and spiritual, and really rich.” This is an interesting declaration! To become wealthy is not just defined in terms of the accumulation of money, but by “love.” Bo Sanchez described types of people. The first type is spiritually dedicated but financially poor and the second one is the person who is wealthy but no spiritual abundance. The third type is the person who is wealthy financially and have a spiritual abundance.
We can have other business “bottom-lines” other than money. It has been said that our lives should resemble a channel, not a reservoir. A reservoir stores up water. A channel is constantly flowing. God wants us to be a channel of blessing to others. Let me revise this statement. “Our lives should be both a reservoir and a channel. Earn, invest, store so that you can become a channel of blessing.
It is possible to achieve both spiritual and material abundance. We can have a growing faith and a growing “pocket.” Be a super-rich, become a blessing.
