Faith & Finance - How We Make Money Matters with Robin John

From WBYN Podcasts · 24:57

Show by WDAC - WBYN

Faithful stewardship begins long before we decide how much to give. It starts with how we earn, save, invest, and use the resources God has entrusted to us.Nearly 300 years ago, theologian John Wesley preached a sermon titled The Use of Money, offering Christians a framework for managing their finances: Make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.At first glance, those three principles might seem like separate financial goals. But Wesley intended something far more comprehensive. He believed that every aspect of our financial lives should reflect our love for God and neighbor.Robin John, co-founder and CEO of Eventide Investments and author of The Good Investor: How Your Work Can Confront Injustice, Love Your Neighbor, and Bring Healing to the World, believes Wesley's teaching remains just as relevant today.His message challenges us to consider a question that goes beyond how much money we give away: Does the way we make and manage money honor the God who owns it all?Make All You Can: Wealth Creation With IntegrityWesley's first principle, "Make all you can," affirms the value of productive work, business, and wealth creation. But it doesn't suggest that Christians should pursue profit at any cost.Wesley taught that we should earn as much as we can without harming ourselves or our neighbors, whether physically or spiritually.That distinction matters. At the heart of Wesley's teaching was a fundamental biblical truth: God owns everything. Whatever wealth we possess has been entrusted to us as stewards, not given to us as absolute owners.This means the question isn't simply whether we can make money from a particular business, investment, or opportunity. We must also consider whether the way we earn that money honors God and serves others.Wesley was particularly concerned about industries that profited from exploitation and addiction. He challenged Christians who accumulated wealth through harmful practices, asking them to consider what kind of inheritance they were leaving behind.After all, what good is a financial legacy if it comes at the expense of a spiritual one?That same question applies to modern investing. Many investors understandably focus on financial returns, but we don't always consider what our invested dollars are supporting.Our investments aren't disconnected from the world around us. They represent ownership in companies whose products, services, and business practices affect people's lives.Faithful stewardship invites us to consider not only whether an investment is financially productive, but also how that company contributes to or detracts from human flourishing.A Family Legacy That Valued Faithfulness Over ProfitFor Robin John, this conviction is more than a philosophical principle. It's rooted in his family's history. Robin spent the first eight years of his life in India, living with his grandparents before moving to the United States. Although his family wasn't impoverished during his childhood, he grew up hearing stories of the significant hardships they had experienc

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