“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)
You’ve studied what it means to be the steward who God calls you to be. You’ve become more crystal clear on His purpose in your life. You’ve established a solid foundation by nurturing every important aspect of Your Fruitful Tree. Now you’re ready for The Orchard!
During this stage you’ll learn practical elements essential to being a successful investor. You’re now moving beyond the fundamentals and learning how to analyze opportunities to see if they’re the right financial move for you considering where God is calling you.
There are multiple areas of focus within this education:
- You’ll receive an education on the way different types of investments (such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, options, futures, and real estate) work so that you’ll have a fundamental understanding for discerning the risks and opportunities inherent to anything that crosses your path.
- You’ll also receive tools for evaluating different opportunities to see if they are right for you. Some investments are right for one person, but totally wrong for another, so when analyzing opportunities across a variety of asset classes, it’s important to have tools that will evaluate each in a simple, easy to understand manner.
You’ll learn how to determine:
- Do I understand this investment well enough to invest?
- Do I understand how this investment creates value in the world?
- Is this investment in line with God’s calling in my life?
- Who are the people involved, and should I embrace this venture with them?
- What will happen if this investment doesn’t go the way I expect, and am I okay with that outcome?
- How do economic trends affect my investments?
- How can I take advantage of economic trends to grow what I have been given?
Answering questions such as these and the others you’ll learn are vital to entering the right investments. When you are equipped with the basic understanding of how different asset classes work and are equipped with tools to help you discern whether an investment is appropriate for where God has you, you’ll be in the best possible position to follow the Lord’s leading in choosing the right investments and avoiding the wrong investments for your family.
This post is Part 6 in the new series The Steward’s Calling. To continue with this series, click on Pt 7. To use this as a growth tool to better understand your own calling, you might start by reading Part 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4 and Pt 5.
Artwork credit: “Your Fruitful Tree”, original artwork by Don Tate