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Investing
can be a part of your life, but it should not be your life. If
you live and breathe your money and everyone can tell how your
portfolio is performing by your daily attitude swings, then you
need to reassess your priorities. Money can be a defense and
should be built up in preparation for the future, but obtaining
wealth should never be your only purpose in life.
Patience
Rest in
the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because
of him who prospereth in his way.
Psalms
37:7
Any wealth
you accumulate should not be measured against what your friends
have, but rather it should be recognized as what God has given
to you. You should never brag about your investment returns nor
be concerned with others who do brag. If you’re following the
principles of the Bible, God will bless you on His own time
schedule.
No
overnight millionaires
Labour
not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine
eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make
themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Prov.
23:4-5
There are
many exotic investment vehicles that have been created because
of the greediness of man. They offer a pathway to great riches
in a short amount of time, but they also offer the chance for
great poverty. You should never enter into any type of
investment that could cause you to lose more than you originally
invest. Investing via leverage or margin thinking you’re going
to strike it rich quick is a sure way to end up losing much more
than you originally bargained for.
Invest
only what you can afford
There
is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches
kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches
perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is
nothing in his hand.
Ecc.
5:13-14
It’s very
sad that so many of the people who buy lottery tickets can
hardly afford to live from paycheck to paycheck. Money that
should be used to provide for their family’s well-being is
thrown away chasing dreams of great riches. Before you put money
in any type of investment you should first be able to adequately
provide for your families needs and even have some money set
aside for emergencies in case you need it. Your investments are
for your future, not for your emergencies.
Prepare
for Economic downtimes
A
prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the
simple pass on, and are punished.
Prov.
27:12
Due to the
curse, cycles of economic prosperity don’t continue forever. It
would be nice if they did, but unfortunately you must plan for
when the economy, stock market, business environment, etc. turns
south. This is what made Joseph such a valuable steward to
Pharaoh, he was able to create wealth in both the bull and the
bear markets of Egypt.
The Bible
provides guidance even on how to execute your investment
strategy. While the investment principles of the Bible are
helpful, the desire for riches should never be the guiding
principle of your life. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God . . .
and all these things shall be added unto you". (Matthew 6:33)
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