Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter
A JAMAICAN CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT, Wilfred M. McKenley, last month published a volume aimed at helping Christians and non-Christians attain financial prosperity.
The book, The ABCs Of Becoming A Millionaire, draws heavily on money management principles found in the Bible as well as the author's own wisdom honed in the marketplace.
Renowned international Bible teacher, Dr. Myles Munroe, senior pastor at Bahamas Faith Ministries, has written the foreword to this 104-page work. The book, he said, "delivers a comprehensive, practical, reasonable and achieveable route to achieving financial freedom".
Mr. McKenley, who is the immediate past president of the Jamaica chapter of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), has cited a number of scripture references which are likely to turn on the head much of the conventional thinking embraced by Christians and non-Christians alike concerning money management.
Mr. McKenley argues that it is a mistake for people to pursue the purchase of a new car and/or house before establishing a business. He cited the New Living Translation of Proverbs 24:27, which says, "Develop your business before building your house."
MINDSET HAS TO CHANGE
According to Mr. McKenley, "Our mindset has to change to appreciate the fact that a residential house and a car are liabilities if, by acquiring any of these items before the appropriate time, we incur significant debt. The monthly payments on these items will deprive the purchaser of the ability to save and invest for the future.
The author cited Leviticus 6:4-5 and Leviticus 22:14 to make the point that one should not allow oneself to be saddled with interest repayments that exceed 20 per cent. Furthermore, he said, one should stay out of debt as much as is possible. Instead, one should only embrace the debt to love one another as urged in Romans 13:8. Another principle of staying out of debt, Mr. McKenley cites, comes from Proverbs 22:26, which urges people to avoid becoming legally responsible for the debts of another person.
Mr. McKenley argued that one's divinely bestowed gift/talent should be the platform to propel one into wealth. In other words, he believes that what one is good at should become a major source of one's income. To buttress his argument, he cites Proverbs 18:16 which states: "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men." (KJV)
McKenley wrote: "If you are gifted in a particular discipline, shouldn't you function in that area? Why pursue a career in music when you are a good cook. If you are a good cook, establish a restaurant and earn money from your cooking skills." If one is unable to identify one's dominant gift, said McKenley, one should then go to God and ask Him, as He should know, having created everyone for a specific purpose.
ROUTE TO WEALTH
The chartered accountant posits that hard work is the normal route travelled by most of those who have attained wealth. He stressed that "work in its different forms is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible, more than all the words used to express worship, music, praise and singing combined. The Hebrew word 'avodah' is the root for both work and worship. Work is, therefore, synonymous with worship."
The author subtly questions the validity of the conventional 40-hour five-day work week. He said: "God worked for six days, so why have trade unions and government legislated a 40-hour work week? This can be a recipe for poverty in any family, community or nation."
A cardinal principle to attain wealth, wrote Mr. McKenley, is to become a giver. He cited Proverbs 3:9 which says: "Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine."
According to Mr. McKenley, "The principle of sowing and reaping is God's primary method of securing your financial future. God's principle is based on giving and receiving and it is opposite to the world's method for accumulating wealth. The world system teaches that you should save as much of your money as possible, while God's principle teaches us to give as much as possible in order to reap God's blessings.
IMPORTANCE OF GIVING
He points out that most wealthy persons recognise the importance of giving, hence they give millions to charities and foundations. Furthermore, these persons tend to experience a great level of personal satisfaction after giving away much of their wealth, Mr. McKenley noted.
For single persons, the choice of spouse, Mr. McKenley said, is crucial as one seeks to acquire wealth. He said: "The ability to choose the right mate has a significant correlation to accumulating and maintaining wealth. Being prudent and frugal is a lifestyle trait of the wives of many millionaires." In this regard, he urges single men to look for wives who mirror character traits of the virtuous woman mentioned in Proverbs 31. For single females, the author recommends that they marry husbands who reflect the qualities mentioned in 1Timothy 3.
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mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com
EDITOR's NOTE: One may receive a copy of The ABCs Of Becoming A Millionaire by contacting the offices of McKenley and Associates at 968-3117-9 or via email at mckenley@infochan.com.
