Tag: increase
Year of Increase – Creating a Vision for our Resources
February 10, 2025
by Ron Bare
Have you ever met a visionary? Maybe you’re one yourself. I’m talking about that person who seems to have endless ideas, always sees the big picture, and is always trying to fit 100 pounds into a 50-pound bag. Though our visionary friends do have some drawbacks, I’m convinced they bring something to the table that each of us can learn from.
This valuable trait that visionaries have is simply having a vision and being able to look beyond the current moment. Here at Bare, we often refer to our vision as “Beyond Abundance.” When we look down the road 5, 20, or 50 years into the future, what we hope for our clients is not that they’ve become rich, but that they’ve lived a rich and full life. We pray that our clients have been blessed beyond their basic needs, and that they have served others with their abundance. We also pray that our clients have taken a good, long look at their resources and considered how they might bring an increase to them for the good of others.
How can we ensure that at the end of our life, we’ve done this well? Investing and growing our finances, time, and resources is no small feat, but it is worth it! Ephesians 3:20 and 2 Corinthians 9 both remind us of this reality – that when we sow, we reap. As you take a look at your life, what has God placed in your hands? How can you invest and grow the resources that God has given to you? What kind of impact can your resources have on others?
We can talk about these principles all day, but it’s crucial to take time to nail down what this actually looks like in your life. We want to intentionally create a vision for our resources, and vision first begins with inventory. To aid in this process, we’ve crafted the Beyond Abundance Inventory Sheet. This tool helps us think about exactly what resources God has given to us and how we can bring an increase to them for His glory.
The first resource on the inventory sheet is our financial resources. Whether a salary, an inheritance, or ownership of a business, financial resources are easy to see. After we know what financial resources we have, we can consider giving, investing, or planning how our business can serve others. These resources are so tangible, but certainly not all there is.
Intellectual resources might include a high school or college education. They might include a specific skill that you are trained in, or unique experience that you have. They may even include financial literacy. These are the kinds of gifts that are important to continue investing in, and as learning continues, are important to pass on to others through teaching and apprenticeship.
Relational or social resources come in the form of people. You’ve heard it said before: who you know is often more important than what you know. Many of you know this principle to be true because you’ve lived it. One of my favorite ways to watch networks serve the community is through banding together to solve a problem. Often, one person or organization does not have all of the solutions to a problem, but when networks work together, things get done. How can you work with others to solve big problems?
We also believe spiritual resources are critical. It is such a gift to be able to live in a time and place in history where spiritual resources are easy to access – whether a church, pastor, or our Bible. Going one step further and inviting others to join in is where true transformation happens.
The last category on the Beyond Abundance Inventory Sheet is physical resources. This includes those tangible things – housing, food, and clothing. Though many of us are blessed, many of our neighbors are under-resourced in this area. How can we use our physical resources to come alongside them? Whether buying properties and renting them at fair rates or donating food to food banks, there are plenty of ways to serve.
At Bare, we believe that stewardship and generosity are important. That’s why our impact statement highlights these two ideas: through intentional stewardship and extravagant generosity, we help generous people shift the culture and change the world for the glory of God. Would you join us on this mission? We’d love to have you!
Exploring Biblical “Increase” in 2025
January 10, 2025
by Ron Bare
Each year at Bare, we choose a theme to focus on that guides us both internally and externally. As we considered the theme for 2025, we chose “year of increase.” At first glance, it may seem practical for a wealth advising firm to have a focus on increase. However, this year is not about increasing wealth for the purpose of becoming wealthy, but rather for the purpose of increasing our influence. Our culture tells us that we will ‘win’ if we can grow our wealth, get the highest rate of return, or show a higher net worth statement at the end of each year. Yet this cultural view falls short of the Biblical view of success, influence and increase.
The Biblical view of bringing an increase to what we have been given draws us to look at two places – the origin of life in Genesis, and a parable in Matthew 25. In these passages, we see that growing and increasing the things God has entrusted to us is an important piece of stewardship. Does this exclusively refer to money? Is bringing an increase in all areas even within our control?
We have found that a great way to explore these questions is to start at the beginning – the very beginning. In Genesis, we see God’s final and most stunning creation: humanity. He created human beings and gave them a few instructions: to multiply, fill the earth, govern the earth, and rule. He gave it all to humans and said, ‘it is yours!’ This can easily be a passing thought, but when we stop to reflect on what God has done, we are reminded of the incredible gift – not just to enjoy creation, but also to steward it! (also read Ps. 8, Gen. 1 and 2, and Matt. 25). I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’d want to hand over the keys to my creation to someone else!
God has given over His creation to us for the time being, and much like the master in the parable, He will return to see what we have done with it. In the parable in Matthew 25, both servants who increased what had been given to them were praised, while the one who buried it in the ground was punished.
Readers of this story tend to react through one of two extremes, neither of which we ascribe to. One extreme is the reader who believes that God will always bless them exponentially, and that if they just trust Him, wealth is not far behind. The other extreme is the reader who is filled with fear, like the final servant in the parable. This person is afraid of risk and afraid of losing what was given to them, so they do nothing with their assets. This person doesn’t work, invest, or give.
Unlike the person enamored with the prosperity gospel and certainly unlike the fearful servant, we want to focus on increasing our resources for the glory of God, so that we can give, serve, and shape culture. Our tagline at Bare is “Beyond Abundance,” and we believe it helps us carry a vision beyond simply amassing wealth. Instead, it is centered around influencing the world for good. Living “beyond abundance” assumes a confidence in God, acknowledging that He can richly provide for us beyond what we need, so that we can generously share with others. A “beyond abundance” way of living offers freedom and opportunities to live a life of fullness, and to impact the world far beyond what we could do on our own.
In 2025, we will explore together what it means to steward all that God has given to us to carry out these instructions. Stewardship is first an understanding that we are not the owners but rather the managers of what we have (earth, wealth, time, talents, etc.) and secondarily an understanding of the responsibilities that come from the owner (God). We will focus on four key areas this year – our vision, our work, our wealth, and our influence. Join us as we consider how intentional stewardship and extravagant generosity can impact the world to be just as it was originally intended – an environment where humans can flourish.
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