Business Secrets from the Bible: Spiritual Success Strategies for Financial Abundance

Secret #33

Don't Live Beyond Your Means—Give Beyond Your Means

Read that heading again. Does it seem to fly in the face of everything that I just said? Are you surprised? It does not and you shouldn't be.

I may have just spent the last few pages telling you that anyone earning money is doing good in the world whether or not they give away a portion of their money to charity. It does not necessarily follow that they should not give to charity anyway. We absolutely should. Giving charity is healthy. In a study conducted by the University of Buffalo, researchers found that volunteering significantly lowers the association between stressful life events and death. We are better able to cope with pain and stress when we give of ourselves.

And what is more, giving charity is one of the primary tools we have for making money. I have a friend named David, a well-known entrepreneur in the medical industry who also helped fund the construction of a major megachurch in his native Southern California. David gave the initial commitment of $2 million to have the church built. It might surprise you to learn that he made this commitment before he had ever earned the money. His pastor told him he needed the money to build the church. David said he would help if he could but that he didn't have that kind of money. The pastor told him to go ahead and make the commitment anyway. Why? Because he understood this: We must give before we get. That is how you make money in this world—you put out money and ...