Leverage

A lever is a simple machine that increases efficiency by amplifying a small force and turning it into a much larger one, opening up a realm of mechanical possibilities. As the Greek mathematician Archimedes famously said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”

While Archimedes’s scope focused solely on the material and the finite, Leverage: Using Temporal Wealth for Eternal Gain (Kenneth Boa and Russ Crosson, Trinity House Publishers, 2022) applies the principle of leverage to matters of infinite importance.

Whether or not we realize it, we use the principle of leverage on a daily basis, not simply in physics but in the sense of turning limited resources into an advantage—often a selfish advantage that gives us gain at the expense of other people. Although the link between leverage and selfish gain is so well forged that the two may seem synonymous, in Leverage, we contend that Christians can leverage God’s earthly gifts not for personal benefit but for the advancement of His kingdom.

The world clamors for our attention and encourages us to find our identity in what is temporal rather than in what is eternal. And the reality is, the more money we have, the easier it is to find our identity in it, even unconsciously. This is why Paul warned against making an idol of riches:

For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:7–10)

Earthly wisdom peddles a false sense of control and security, consistently encouraging us to accumulate for ourselves the seven Ps of idolatry: possessions, pleasure, prestige, popularity, promotion, power, and performance. When these temporal things pass away, they will not leave us with any eternal gain. To pursue them is folly.

Following the wisdom of God, on the other hand, requires training and discipline. As we spend time in Scripture and come to know and love God more, the wisdom of the world will have less of a hold on us. Instead of seeking control by hoarding material wealth on earth, we can relinquish our attempt at autonomy and recognize that we are stewards of what God has given us.

Living with the end in mind is the key to stewarding God’s gifts well and leveraging them for His kingdom.

We can choose to give with a warm hand (while we’re still living) or a cold hand (after we’re gone from this earth)—sometimes known as current versus deferred giving. Current giving both helps break the power of money in our lives and gives us much more control over where it goes. For example, we may make a provision in our will to give a generous amount of our assets to a Christian ministry that is biblically faithful today. But what if that organization undergoes “mission drift” after we die? Would our money have been better released during our lifetime—perhaps even helping to prevent that ministry from straying from its roots? We have to think not only in terms of financial capital but also in terms of spiritual capital.

Many of us err on the side of hoarding (we might prefer to call it “investing for the future”) rather than giving generously in the present, but the Bible—from the Proverbs of the Old Testament to the parables and teachings of Jesus—would recommend otherwise. Reasons we fail to give now out of a genuinely generous and sacrificial heart include fear, limited liquid assets (which can make giving more complex to do), a deficient understanding of why God commands us to give, failure to have a giving plan, and not understanding the benefits of current giving. (In Leverage, we cover each of these reasons more thoroughly.)

Financial prosperity, while lauded by the world, lends itself to earthly-mindedness if we are not careful, particularly when we treat our wealth with a sense of entitlement rather than recognizing that God entrusted it to us. Because material wealth will not survive beyond this earthly life, biblical wisdom invites us to grasp our finiteness and spurs us to live with a pilgrim mindset, investing our resources in what is to come through our good works and generosity.

We live in a time of unprecedented prosperity, which easily tempts us toward self-indulgence or hoarding. We are also surrounded by poverty—the spiritual sort. The question is, will we take our cues from the culture or from the Bible when it comes to how we approach and use our wealth?

We pray you will follow the way of wisdom, embracing the biblical idea that a wise life is a generous life.