10 Bible Verses To Guide Your Investment Decisions

Intro: Welcome to the Christian Financial Perspectives Podcast, where you will learn what the Bible says about stewardship and finance. Here you will gain insight, wisdom, and knowledge of how to integrate your Christian faith with your finances. Here’s your Christian Financial advisor’s host, Bob Barber and his co-host, Shawn Peters. Shawn: Welcome everyone to another episode of Christian Financial Perspectives. We’re so glad that you joined us. My name is Shawn Peters, and as always, I’m joined by my esteemed father-in-law, Bob Barber and co-host. We are here today to help you navigate the world of finance, but through a Christian worldview. So if you enjoy our unique faith-driven approach, we’d love for you to hit that subscribe button so you can stay up to date with all of our latest content. Bob: You know, Shawn, with all the first time listeners we’re getting today, I just realized a lot of people may not even know where we are, so. Shawn: Yeah. Or what this logo means. Bob: Exactly. So we’re located in New Braunfels, Texas, in between Austin and San Antonio, and our firm is Christian Financial Advisors®, and we love bringing information to you from a Christian perspective. That’s why we’re called Christian Financial Perspectives. Shawn: That’s right. And what’s our topic for today, Bob? Bob: Well, our topic for today is “10 Scriptures For Investing”. We’re gonna go over 10 different scriptures that have to do with investing and Biblical guidelines for it. And most people don’t realize, Shawn, that that there’s a lot in the Bible about investing. Shawn: That’s right. Bob: As a matter of fact, there’s a lot about stewardship, like over 1500 to 2000 scriptures. Shawn: That’s right, Bob. So that’s one of the things that also sets us apart with how we integrate our Christian values into the advice and strategies that we use for clients. And this allows us not just to address your financial needs, but also help with your spiritual wellbeing and help you along with your faith journey. Which is perfect for what we’re covering in today’s episode, in that we’re gonna be exploring 10 different Bible verses that should help guide your investment strategies. Bob: People never even really think about that, Shawn, especially even Christians. They don’t think that the Bible has so much to say about investing and it’s about integrating your faith and your finance. That’s what we’re really talking about and those decisions aligning with Biblical principles. Shawn: That’s right. As our name implies those financial decisions lining up with Biblical principles. So, all right, Bob, well, let’s jump right into our first verse. Okay. I’ll go ahead and read Proverbs 13:11, which says, “Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it.” I really like this verse. Bob: Yeah, I do too. Shawn: Because it flies in the face of I’m sure if you’ve been online for more than 10 minutes, you’ve seen some sort of “get rich quick” or some sort of thing. It’s up 430% or 1000%. And that doesn’t work. And every time, if you give it a little bit of time, there’s some sort of, “Oh, guess what? That was a scam. It wasn’t right.” The Bible says and encourages us to build wealth slowly and methodically. If you make hasty, impulsive financial decisions, especially if you’re trying to get ahead quick, it often leads to losses. Building wealth is a marathon, not a sprint. Bob: Shawn, we talked last week a lot about emotions and investing, and actually you don’t want to use emotions, but you can use other people’s emotions. So I would encourage somebody to go back and listen to that. So our second scripture from today is from Matthew 25:14-30. And we’ve mentioned this many times in the past. It’s all about the “Parable of the Talents”. We’re not gonna go through that entire scripture because it’d take us the rest of the program to read it. Shawn: . It’s a lot of verses Bob: It’ll take a good 5 to 10 minutes to read that. But it really emphasizes the importance of long-term investing. People don’t realize when you read the parable of the talents, that it never gives us a timeline. So the Lord is not, the Bible does not preach about and does not speak into gambling being a way to make money, but slowly. So we believe when it’s talking about the parable of the talents, that this was probably a 5 to 10 year period that the master gave them the money, Shawn, and then came back and said, what did you do with it? And we know that the guy that got one didn’t do anything. The one that got three and five both went and doubled it. So I’m thinking of rule of 72s, maybe that was a 7 to 10 year period. Shawn: That’s right. Bob: But at the end of the scripture, it talks about how upset the master was. And it says, throw that worthless servant out of here. And I mean, it’s some harsh words there about why didn’t you do something with what I gave you? Shawn: Yeah. Because those resources are ultimately God’s and he may have stuck it in, buried it in the ground, but effectively he buried his head in the ground. Bob: Yeah, he did. Shawn: When it comes to that. All right. Well, next we’re gonna cover Ecclesiastes 11:2, which says, “Divide your portion to seven or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.” And this first reminds us of the importance of diversification in your investments. It mitigates the risk by helping to spread it across the various sectors and not just have it in one area. So, good way to… Bob: And I wanna speak into that, too. If you take that scripture, “Give your portions a seven or eight,” and you divide that into a hundred, you come out between 12% and about 14.6%, I think is the actual number. I don’t have it right in front of me, but that’s the actual number of what you should not put more into one sector. And I always say, especially if you’re listening to us for the first time today, that means Yes, don’t put more than 15-20% in real estate because there’s such an emphasis in HGTV today saying, “Buy real estate. Buy real estate.” Real estate’s a good investment, but it’s only one sector of many sectors. Shawn: Exactly. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. So, our next verse is 2 Corinthians 6:17, “‘Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘And do not touch what is unclean. And I will welcome you.’” Bob: Well, there’s a lot to speak into this, and this is really about Biblically responsible investing. This shows us as Christians, we should be called out to be different. And to not invest in those companies that are morally hurting America. And if those companies are involved in pornography or gambling or tobacco or the LGBTQIA+ plus or woke type companies, you need to steer clear of ’em. That’s what we feel, and this is what this scripture’s saying, come out and separate from that, while at the same time looking for companies to invest in that are doing good in our society and that are treating God’s creation good. And that are treating their employees well or have a pro-family type of process that they work by. Shawn: So we’re gonna go with number five, which is Luke 14:28, which advises for, “Which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it.” Now, this helps us consider the volatility, risk and reward potential before investing, which is very important. Bob: Yes. Shawn: And it’s crucial to have a written investment strategy that you understand and can entrust. Bob: Shawn, I don’t think I’ve met, so far in my 30 years, I don’t think I’ve ever met an individual that had a written investment strategy. Shawn: That correct. Bob: So they don’t really have a plan. They don’t have a blueprint. They’ve not thought about the cost of that. Shawn: Yeah. I have not been doing this as long as you, but I also have not met anyone that has a written investment investment plan policy. Bob: You haven’t been able to find anybody either, huh? Shawn: Unless it was one of our clients. If you’re watching this right, you know that we give all of our clients an investment policy statement that is written down. Bob: We follow ours to the T and it’s seven different strategies. And by the way, you can find that on our website at www.christianfinancialadvisors.com. That’s right under, I think it’s “About Us”. And you go under the investment part of it. But if you can’t find it, just give us a text at (830) 609-6986, we’ll mention that again here at the end of the program. Shawn: So Proverbs 22:3 is our next verse. Bob: Is this number six, by the way? Shawn: This is number six. Okay. So Proverbs 22:3, “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naive go on and are punished for it.” Bob: You wanna speak into that one? Shawn: No, I’ll let you talk on that one. Bob: Okay. Well, that, again, that has a lot to do with Biblically responsible investing and how we don’t wanna align ourselves with companies that are doing evil. Shawn: That’s right. All right. Our seventh verse is Proverbs 22:7. It warns the following, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” So this, I think, is a good recommendation on avoid borrowing money to invest in anything when possible. Now, I know a lot of times for real estate, you almost have to. Bob: Well, I at least try not to. Shawn: For your primary, at least for your primary home. Bob: Especially with rates back up today, Shawn, last year or a couple years ago when rates were at 2% and 3%, 3.5%, but now with rates at 6.5%, 7.5%. I saw 8% the other day. Shawn: Yeah, if you’re borrowing to invest, it doesn’t matter what you’re investing in. It could be real estate, it could be markets, stock markets. If you borrow, it’s going to add a lot of unnecessary stress and burden. So just don’t do it. , I mean, I think would be a good way to look at that. Bob: Our next scripture. Is this the ninth one? Shawn: This is the eighth one. Bob: This is the eighth one. So we’re doing 10, right? Shawn: That’s right. Our eighth scripture is 1 Timothy6:9-10, “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction, for the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. And some by longing for it, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Bob: This really speaks into day trading and gambling Shawn: And gambling. It’s kind of one in the same. Bob: It does. And it reinforces the importance of Christian values over desire for that quick wealth that we see that people try to do by day trading. Cause that’s really what day trading is about, is getting something for nothing, by the way. Shawn: Well, here we are at our ninth verse. So as we come to near the end of our list, Ecclesiastes 4:9 comes into focus. It says, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.” Now, this one is a great verse to encourage us to seek wisdom and advice and counsel when it comes to our investments. Engaging with experienced financial advisors can help you get very valuable insights, whether that is just financial planning or investment advice, or working directly with an advisor that does investment management on a discretionary basis for you. Either one of those could be very, very useful for this verse. And our last verse, I’ll let Bob cover this one. But our last verse is Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Bob: Shawn, the reason I had this one for the last one, which is one of the most important ones, is that for a Christian, financial decisions should be considered spiritual decisions as well. So I think it’s very important that as Christians, we pray about all financial decisions. We realize this is God’s money. We’ve talked about this many times about Psalms 24:1, “The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” It belongs to him. He owns it. We’re managers. And this really speaks into that, I think. Shawn: Amen to that, Bob. Well, so there you have it, folks. That is 10 verses to help shape your investment strategies. Remember, our decisions should not just be about what’s good for our wallets or the financial, but it should be what’s good for our soul, what’s good for our spiritual walk with Christ. Bob: Amen to that, Shawn. And really, a great job. I know you helped me with this a lot. I was able to come up with the scriptures, but you were able to help me put, I guess, the meat on the bones, and I appreciate that. I hope this has really helped you. I bet you didn’t know the Bible had this much to say about investing, but it does. And there’s a whole lot more, many, many scriptures. We at Christian Financial Advisors® wanna do it God’s way and really invite you to go to our website. We’re doing some updating there. Go under our statement of faith and see what we’re about, because we truly are about aligning your faith and your finances together. Okay. Shawn: And that’s what makes us unique, Bob we’re here not just to help you grow your wealth, but we want to help you on your journey of faith. Bob: And be a good steward. Shawn: Exactly. And if you want, reach out to us and we’d love to help you take that next step on your financial, spiritual journey. Bob: I’ll tell you how to get ahold of us. That’s at www.christianfinancialadvisors.com. Or you can text us during business hours or give us a call. We’d love to hear and speak with you at (830) 609-6986. Shawn: Thank you so much for spending time with us today. We’d invite you to comment or maybe send in an email of any kind of a topic you might want us to cover. And if you do enjoy this financial perspective, but from a Christian worldview, we’d love for you to hit that subscribe button so you can stay up to date with all of our latest content and we can continue to help you on your spiritual journey. We love all of you, and thank you so much for being with us. God bless you all. [CONCLUSION] That’s all for now. We invite you to listen to all of our past episodes covering many financial topics from a Christian Perspective. To make sure you don’t miss any of Bob’s upcoming episodes you can subscribe to Christian Financial Perspectives on iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify, or Stitcher. To learn more about integrating your faith with your finances, visit ciswealth.com or call 830-609-6986. [DISCLOSURES] Investment advisory services offered through Christian Investment Advisors Inc dba Christian Financial Advisors®, a registered investment advisor registered with the SEC. Registration as an investment advisor does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Comments from today’s show are for informational purposes only and not to be considered investment advice or recommendations to buy or sell any company that may have been mentioned or discussed. The opinions expressed are solely those of the hosts, Bob Barber and Shawn Peters, and their guests. Bob and Shawn do not provide tax advice and encourage you to seek guidance from a tax professional. While Christian Financial Advisors® believes the information to be accurate and reliable, we do not claim or have responsibility for its completeness, accuracy, or reliability.