The Inspired Leader: 101 Biblical Reflections for Becoming a Person of Influence (42 page)

JOHN JACOB ASTOR was one of the first notable multimillionaires in American history. Astor was born in Germany in 1763 into a butcher’s family. He immigrated to America in 1784 and eventually made his fortune in the fur trade. He developed a shipping business and then began investing heavily in real estate in the New York City area. Even as a multimillionaire, Astor was notoriously cheap. He once declared that a friend’s hotel would never succeed, evidenced by the fact he placed too large of lumps of sugar in the sugar bowl. He would become upset if his children took more butter than they could use on their bread. Astor’s fortune eventually grew to $25 million, which made him the wealthiest man in America. Yet he was always reluctant to part with his money. A minister once called on Astor and proclaimed that, “You are indeed fortunate to have such a great fortune…It increases your ability to do good.” To which Astor replied, “Oh, the disposition to do good does not always increase with the means” (Lucy Kavaler,
The Astors,
35). At his death in 1848, Astor made his only large benefaction, giving $400,000 to the Astor Library, which would become the New York City Library. Most of his wealth went directly to his son William, who would be tasked with carrying on the family legacy. William would live to be 83 and would eventually double his wealth to $50 million. Yet, in light of the fact he was for many years the richest man in America, his donations to charity were negligible. His intent was to pass on as much of his wealth as possible to his heirs, as his father had done.

Warren Buffet, in contrast, would come to dwarf the Astor millions. Yet he believed that inheritances were simply “unearned wealth,” of which he did not approve. He made his children do chores to earn their allowance and often turned down their requests for money. His children grew up knowing their father would not give them money except for their education. On June 26, 2006, Buffet donated 85% of his Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. At that time, his donation was valued at 37 billion dollars. He would not leave a foundation or institution with his name on it in perpetuity. He would disperse his enormous wealth in a manner he felt would do the most good to others.

The world tends to encourage people to hoard what they have. Yet Jesus told a story about a successful businessman who had accumulated more wealth than he could possibly use. His solution was, “
I will do this, I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.”
Jesus commented, “‘
Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God”
(Luke 12:18; 20-21). Jesus made it clear that hoarding our possessions rather than investing in His kingdom is shortsighted and foolish. The writer of Proverbs noted, “
There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty”
(Proverbs 11:24). Being a wise steward of our resources means we care for our own needs as well as for our family. But our heart ought to be predisposed to give. Our assets
will
be disposed of one day. Either we will have the privilege and joy of doing so, or someone else will.

REFLECT FOR A MOMENT

1. How much effort have you made to build your retirement funds? How much wealth do you anticipate passing on to your heirs? How much wealth do you plan to invest in God’s work while you still have control of it?
   

2. What is your view on passing on inheritances? Do you agree with Buffet that it is not right to do so? Buffet has tried to invest his money in a way that it exerts the most impact. How are you doing that?
   

3. Do you receive more delight from gathering or from scattering? Do you enjoy seeing your wealth pile up or being dispersed the most widely?
   

WHEN THE ANGELS announced the coming of the Messiah, they declared, “
Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people”
(Luke 2:10). The Christian message brings great joy! It is the most encouraging, amazing, and life-changing news mankind has ever received. Those who believe it, embrace it, and obey it, will experience abundant life. Jesus promised that if we would abide in Him, His joy would fill our lives to overflowing (John 15:11). How can you identify people who are experiencing the truth of the Gospel? They have joy!

The greatest human condition is to be the recipient of God’s blessing. No earthly pleasure can compare with the satisfaction that comes when God is pleased with you and chooses to bless you. This can be experienced in business and financial success, but it involves much more. The joy of the Lord can be experienced in both prosperity as well as bankruptcy. The sense of God’s pleasure upon your life brings peace and contentment regardless of your circumstances. Notably, the joy of the Lord is such that
no one
can remove it from you (John 16:22).

The world loudly proclaims that, to be happy, we must possess the best house, car, clothes, spouse, and job available. The media urges us to be perpetually striving for more and better. Yet it is but a hopeless pursuit of a mirage. Those who recognize the source of true joy and contentment will wholeheartedly embrace Christ. They will find their pleasure in Him. They will bask in God’s presence and infinite goodness.

From where do you draw your joy? Have you found true pleasure in Christ? Have you had the profound delight that comes from being blessed by God?

THE BUSINESS WORLD categorizes its processes into pairs (profit/loss; revenue/expense; asset/liability), with the ultimate goal of the positives outweighing the negatives. Life is sort of like that—some relationships and activities add to its quality while others diminish it. Jesus warned about
thieves
whose purpose it is to “
steal and to kill and to destroy”
(John 10:10). There are numerous behaviors, attitudes, people, and activities that rob us of the life God created us to enjoy. Conversely, Jesus assured His disciples that He had come so “
that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”
(John 10:10). Whoever or whatever dominates your life will determine whether you experience a diminished or an abundant life.

Mark Twain candidly confessed, “I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.” In truth, much of Twain’s heartache resulted from his constant, but futile attempts to accumulate wealth. Cornelius Vanderbilt admitted, “I have been insane on the subject of money-making all my life.” Such an obsession led him to become America’s wealthiest tycoon, but it also resulted in heartache and suicide among his children. By 1883, his son William had doubled his inheritance in six years from 95 million dollars to 200 million. But by his early sixties, William was weary and disheartened. He noted, “The care of $200,000,000 is too great a load for my brain or back to bear…It is enough to kill a man. I have no son whom I am willing to afflict with the terrible burden. There is no pleasure to be got of it as an offset—no good of any kind. I have no real gratification or enjoyments of any sort more than my neighbor on the next block who is worth only half a million.” In a similar fashion, John Jacob Astor, commenting on his inherited fortune complained, “Money brings me nothing but a certain dull anxiety.”

The biographer of Andrew Mellon, one of the wealthiest men in the 1930s, noted that he “rarely smiled and hardly ever laughed.” His marriage ended in a painful divorce. Henry Ford II, grandson of Henry Ford, was married three times. Says his biographer, “Henry was married to the Ford Motor Company, and marriage to him was always a form of polygamy.” A time will inevitably come at the end of our life when our net worth or the profitability of our company appears meaningless. In light of this fact, we ought to invest our life in those things that bring us, and others, abundant life. We were created to enjoy life,
every day
.

The psalmist declared, “
In Your presence is fullness of joy”
(Psalm 16:11). Spending time in God’s presence brings inexplicable joy! In addition, those who
“delight in the law of the Lord”
will prosper in all they do (Psalm 1:2-3). Godly children provide abundant satisfaction (Proverbs 15:20; 23:24), while he who begets a fool “
has no joy”
(Proverbs 17:21). In addition, God intends for us to find complete marital contentment and pleasure from our spouse (Proverbs 5:15-20). God is extremely clear on how to experience
abundant
life.

The world incessantly clamors to enhance our life. However, its methods rob us, rather than bless us (Proverbs 14:12). Evaluate your current activities and commitments. Are they leading to the
abundant
life God intends? Or, are they robbing you, and others? Life is too brief and precious to squander! Live each day with joy. As Jonathan Swift advised, “May you live all the days of your life.”

REFLECT FOR A MOMENT

1. Are you presently experiencing an ABUNDANT life? Why or why not?
   

2. Have you been seduced by the world to seek happiness from it? Have you assumed money or possessions could bring you joy? Have you discovered it cannot? Have you inadvertently modeled for your children the love of money?
   

3. Have you come to experience the joy of the Lord? Do you enjoy God? Have you learned to enjoy the simple pleasures in life that bring much joy? What is it that has been giving you the most pleasure in your life, lately?
   

BETWEEN 1995 AND 2000,
numerous technology companies were launched in the hope of capitalizing on the booming popularity of the Internet. Investors poured millions of dollars into companies with few tangible assets. Companies that added an “e-” before their name, or a “.com” to the end, instantly attracted investors. The companies often operated at an initial loss, hoping to eventually gain significant market share in their particular field and ultimately to realize enormous profits. Many of the founders of these companies became instantly wealthy. The soaring stock seduced numerous investors to jump on the bandwagon while stock prices continued to soar. During the 2000 Super Bowl, 17 technology companies paid two million dollars each to purchase 30-second advertisements. March 10, 2000, marked the peak of the dot-com bubble.