The need to make wise, informed financial decisions.
A
couple who had just returned home after spending many years overseas wanted to
sell their house in Petaling Jaya, the modern satellite city near to the capital
city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
They
reckoned they would sell the house by themselves as they did not want to pay any
commission on the sale to a real estate agent. The house was snapped up at RM 500,000.
They thought it was an extremely good deal for they had bought it many years
ago for only RM180,000.
Later
they realised that they were penny wise, pound foolish.
If they had consulted a real estate agent, the latter would have advised them
that the market price of a similar unit in that area is around RM 800,000. Even
after paying the sales commission, they would have earned much, much more
profit if they had enlisted the help of the property agent.
The
above example highlights the need to make wise financial decisions based on knowledge
and counsel from others who are experts in the field. This couple have failed
to realise the extent to which property prices have appreciated over the years
while they were away overseas. And so were
If
we desire to obey God and know His
ways, we need to study His Word. God laments that His people are destroyed for
lack of knowledge because they have rejected it (Hosea 4:6).
Similarly,
if we want to be financially savvy, we need to seek knowledge. In this regard, there
are resources aplenty to help us —
books, magazines, seminars, websites and financial advisers.
We
have to be diligent in doing research before investing in something. If an
investment scheme is too good to be true, it probably is. Have we delved into
all the pertinent facts and figures? Make informed decisions, not rely on
rumours or hunches. “Plans fail
for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs
15:22).
Sometimes
God guides us through a rhema word — how and when we should invest.
Long ago, God told Jeremiah to buy a field. Later when his cousin offered to
sell his field to him, Jeremiah knew God had been speaking specifically to him (Jeremiah
32:6-8).
This
post has been adapted from an article, FAITH AND FINANCIAL FREEDOM, which
appeared in the Feb 2013 issue of “Asian Beacon” magazine:
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