Give Freely

Inspired by Mark 4:21-25

"Pay attention to what you hear. In the measure you give, so shall you receive and still more will be given to you. For to the one who produces something, more will be given, and from him who does not produce anything, even what he has will be taken away from him."

A lot of people climb the millionaire ladder with the hope of gaining riches. The fundamental problem in this climb and why only a few would succeed eventually is that many are in the "Get for Myself Mode". We venture into some business enterprise with the primary goal of earning. We offer our services primarily to get something in return.

Jesus is pointing out in this gospel reading why many remain poor. And that is because they refuse to give. The poverty mentality is a mentality of lack. I do not have, therefore I cannot give. But if the secret to riches is in giving, then there is no way that the poor will become rich UNLESS he discovers that in his poverty there is something that he can give. A man therefore will only be able to give something if he has deep knowledge of who he is. When God created him, God admired His work and said, "It is good." There is something good in each of us. What is it? Again, the great mystery unsolved. Until you face your Creator and look into the Great Mirror, you will never know who you really are and what you are really good at. The key to your wealth is to approach your Maker so you will know what it is in you that you can give. When you make this discovery, freely share this with others. And as you give, so shall you receive. The more productive you are, the wealthier you will be. But for the person who refuses to produce, who refuses to give... even what he has will be taken away from him.

Do Not Worry About Money

Inspired by Matthew 6:24-25,32-33: God and Possessions

Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money. This is why I tell you: do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn't life worth more than food? And isn't the body worth more than clothes? Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these things."

What is the prerequisite to having all these things.... food, drink, clothing and such possession? Answer: Concern beyond these things. Concern with the Kingdom of God and what He requires of you. Have you ever asked yourself, what does God require of me? Why did God create me? What did He mean for me to do on earth? What is my role in the Greater Scheme of Things? If we are able to discover that and do that.... that is the source of abundance... of having all these things and so much more.

Study the life of rich men who are honest and see how they became rich. It is by doing what God required them to do that they have achieved such greatness. Not everyone is called to be preachers or priests. We have our places to fill in God's majestic masterpiece. He made painters to make beautiful murals. He made healers to alleviate sufferings. He made musicians to uplift sad souls. He made everyone with innate talents designed to glorify Him with the honest performance of such talents for His greater glory.

If you are doing what you are doing simply because you are worried about what tomorrow may bring not because it is what you think God is requiring you to do for His Kingdom, you should start asking God for His real designs for you. This requires real discernment, proper guidance and a lot of prayer. You just do not abandon ship and pursue hedonistic goals. Remember, God is the real Master you serve with whatever task it is that He has assigned you to do which may look menial to others but which causes so much fulfillment in you.

Self-Knowledge as Key to Wealth

Inspired by Mark 6:34-44 when Jesus Feeds Five Thousand Men:

When I read this gospel, I got perplexed. Here, you could see the disciples urging Jesus to send the people away so they can buy food for themselves. Jesus replied, "You yourselves give them something to eat." Then the disciples answered in what I can imagine as some sort of a protest..." If we are to give them food, we must go and buy two hundred silver coins' worth of bread." This was a way of saying, 'Lord, it is not within our budget.' I can recall so many times answering that way when urged or inspired by God to do something. But what is His answer to this?

"You have some loaves: how many? Go and see." Only then did the disciples found that they have five loaves and two fishes.

Then what did Jesus do... he asked for the five loaves and two fishes. He took these, raised His eyes to heaven, pronounced a blessing broke the loaves and handed them for distribution. The same was done with the fishes. It fed five thousand men and gave a leftover of twelve baskets.

From what little resources the disciples had, Jesus blessed and made plenty. The essence of His miracle is not simply confined to the mere fact that He provided because He knows fully well that He can do that. But what He wants to stress is that we have to participate in the miracle; we have a role to play and He blesses what meager resources we have to make it more than enough. The abundance starts from within us, not externally. It is already inherent in us. What do I have? That is what God is asking. Whatever little I have is worth sharing. But first I need to discover what I have: my talents, my treasures, my skills, the works of my hands... Self-knowledge is essential to a life of abundance. We only need to offer what little we have to Him and He can bless it and multiply it. That is how He asks us to deal with the material world. If I have nothing to offer, He has nothing to bless and multiply.

We seek for an abundant life and He is pointing out that the answer is within us. How wrongly we pray. We ask that He give us the two hundred silver coins so we can buy the bread when we should actually ask ourselves, 'what do I have?' Because with our five loaves and two fishes, He can bless and multiply not only to provide for a "just enough" life but to a "more than enough" life for all people. What we have inside us will not only make our own life rich and wealthy when we start sharing it but it will also enrich other people's lives. Jesus is not referring to spiritual enrichment... He is actually referring to material enrichment, tangible and real.

The Real Financial Planner MD

I have created this blog to teach others what I have learned about financial planning. What I soon realized is that Jesus is the real teacher and the Gospel contains the basic tenets of financial planning. With this realization, I have resolved that starting this year, I shall devote this blog to financial planning the scriptural way. It shall still have the same title but now hold a more significant meaning and content.

What made me stumble upon this realization was the gospel reading of January 4, 2009 commemorating the Epiphany or Three Kings. I asked Jesus this question after reading the gospel during my morning prayer:

'You were offered gold, frankincense and myrrh so I concluded that your family must have gotten rich from such precious gifts. However, when the time of your presentation to the temple occured, Mother Mary and St. Joseph was only able to offer two doves or two pigeons indicating that your family cannot afford to offer a lamb. What happened to your wealth?'

I was surprised that the Lord took effort to answer this question that was left unanswered through the priest who gave the homily on the Sunday mass that we attended. "The gold, frankincense and myrrh were meant to provide for the Holy Family when they fled Bethlehem and went to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath. It was also used to finance their trip to Nazareth upon Herod's death."

'So contrary to what authors would believe, Your family is not really wealthy,' I told the Lord.

And He answered: "Real wealth is wealth that suffices the needs of the body, mind and soul. Mere financial freedom is not real wealth unless you live a truly meaningful and fulfilling life... a life that answered to the call from within. Wealth comes freely and easily as I need it. I can summon the fish to open its mouth and provide me with coins. I can fill the net with an abundant catch. Wealth in the material sense is subject to me. But it is not what I have come for. I have a higher call. (So do you). These are mere instruments under my disposal. But I do not need to possess these. My detachment is my real freedom. I can freely come and go. I am focused. I know why I am on earth. Doing my Father's will is my fulfillment. My life is offered for all so that all may be saved. I have come so you may have life and have it to the full... have it abundantly. Come and follow me. Inspire others to follow me so they may also experience the fullness of life."