Money Talks
I remember seeing a bumper sticker once that said, "Money talks, and all mine says is 'Goodbye.'" Perhaps you can relate.
This Sunday I am going to begin a new series of "talks" on what God's word has to say about how we manage our money. Some people are uneasy talking about money in church, though Jesus talked more about the subject than any other. He was fully aware how much we would all struggle with money and wanted to protect us from the pain and frustration that often follows our mishandling of it.
Contrary to popular belief, money is NOT the root of all evil, and the Bible never says it is. It does, however, tell us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and we know statistically that it is a leading cause of stress, conflict and even divorce. And how we handle it--from spending to saving to investing to giving--is often seen in Scripture as one of the marks of our Christian maturity. The reality is, we all need a little help sometimes managing our money, and fortunately God's word has a lot to say about it.
However we all know people who have not managed their money very wisely, and in fact, history's landscape is littered by people who have made their share of unwise financial decisions and have suffered for those decisions. But perhaps none have made a more regrettable financial decision than Ronald Wayne.
When Apple was incorporated on April 2, 1976, Wayne was listed along with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as the founding partners of the company. Actually, he was the experienced businessman of the three who had been brought in to provide administrative oversight and documentation for the new venture. At 42, he joined Wozniak and Jobs, who were 21 and 25 at the time, to provide the company with "adult supervision," in exchange for a 10 percent stake in the business.
He drew up an agreement outlining each man’s responsibilities and made his role with Apple official. He even drew Apple’s first logo, which was used for less than a year before being replaced by the one associated with the company today. However, after spending just 12 days working with Wozniak and Jobs, Wayne had his name taken off the contract and sold his shares back to his co-founders for $800.
What is that stock worth today? Though the price of Apple stock fluctuates--which can change the equation by literally millions of dollars on any given day--Mr. Wayne's shares would be worth somewhere between $95 and $100 BILLION today. Instead, the 88-year old Wayne lives off of his Social Security checks these days in a modest home in a small Nevada town.
An article about him several years back described Wayne as "the man who won the lottery but lost the ticket." He was like Stuart Sutcliffe or Pete Best, who were original members of the Beatles but left before the group became famous--and filthy rich. And, according to Wayne, his finances have "been in a hole for the last 40 years."
Believe it or not, there's more to his story. Several years back, he sold the original contract that he had drawn up to begin Apple--which was in his attic covered in dust and cobwebs--to an autograph collector for $500. In 2011, that contract sold in an auction for $1.6 million. And, in 2004, his house was broken into and his life savings (in gold coins and cash) was taken. He had to sell his home to recover.
Does he have regrets? Of course. Does he worry about what might have been? Apparently, not much. In that article, he asked, "Should I make myself sick over the whole thing, in addition to everything else that's going on? It didn't make any sense. Just pick yourself up and move on. I didn't want to waste my tomorrows bemoaning my yesterdays."
I have no idea of Mr. Wayne's spiritual condition, but I do appreciate his perspective on life. Because whether we're a billionaire or living paycheck to paycheck, none of us can afford to waste our tomorrows bemoaning our yesterdays. The good news is that God's grace is sufficient to cover our past mistakes, and His promises for our tomorrow are as true as they've ever been.
But that doesn't mean we have to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. We can get a balanced and biblical perspective on our money and possessions, and try to use those things for God's glory instead of allowing them to frustrate us and stress us out. That's what we're shooting for in this upcoming series, and I hope you can be there to hear what God's word has to say.
I am grateful for each of you, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
