October 9. John Peters. John is a successful entrepreneur, who has built and sold multiple businesses. Every business is started with one idea in mind: to sell it. In 2018, he sold a large national-service company and has experienced success.
And not just in the US, but globally. With a handpicked team, he also invests on other continents. The goal: to fund, train, and mentor Christian entrepreneurs.
John has helped fund building projects in The Middle East and Asia that are having a global impact and reaching tens of thousands. It was only John was personally challenged by God’s principles for finances that his vision for God’s purposes became far-reaching, even global.
Having already learned some hard lessons about self-centered success, John was now ready to surrender. Here’s his candid admission.
Amassing wealth can enslave a man, but using it the way God wants, gives a man’s life purpose.
At 28, John had a high-finance job, a Midtown-Manhattan apartment, and a family—complete with a nanny.
But when he and his wife were expecting their third child, John was working a 70-hour week. Each time he left for a business trip, their son began to stutter. John loved his family and wanted more family time.
So they moved out of the city and bought a growing equipment-rental company. John could grow a business and build a family life. He was capable. Smart. Determined. But, while John sometimes prayed, and his family did attend church, he didn’t invite God into his business plan.
A year and a half later, with an expanding company in need of ongoing investment, John cashed out his retirement and home equity—and was in debt more than a million dollars. Three months behind on his mortgage payment, he had little income.
Since John managed the household finances, he didn’t tell his wife. He would shield her. He would protect her. He would carry the stress alone. He was in control. He would figure it out.
One Wednesday night, a visiting missionary told how he had struggled, especially when money was tight, to give tithes and offerings to God. But he gave, and God consistently provided for his needs. Everything belonged to God. And money given for God’s purposes made a difference in the world.
John had been raised to give a portion of his income to God, but he hadn’t tithed in years. “Money was a mirror for what was going on in my heart,” John said. “In my pride I wanted to be successful because of me.” His finances reflected his need for control.
On Thursday, while John was at work, his pregnant wife phoned, and she was crying. While grocery shopping with their three children, all four of her credit cards were declined.
John reeled. He had told himself everything was okay. They were building equity. He could handle it. But now the person he loved most couldn’t even buy groceries. He was out of options.
On Friday, John prayed, “I’ve been trying to do this myself. I thought I was smart enough. But I give up.” In his wallet was $300 for car insurance. If he had been tithing, it was about the amount John would have given that month. John decided to give it to God. “I’m going to let You figure this out,” he prayed.
On Sunday, John gave God all his cash. It was his way of saying God was in charge.
On Monday morning, a man who had found John’s company on the internet contacted him. When a deal had fallen through, the man was stuck with 1,000 units of used specialty equipment.
Desperate to sell, the man offered them at a low price. John, who had always bought new, usually paid ten times the amount. He had had no idea this small niche existed.
God had brought an opportunity that changed everything. Excited, John borrowed money from his parents and purchased the equipment. In that market, his company became almost the only buyer of used equipment. And he never bought new again.
Though the company’s rental revenue per unit remained the same, costs decreased by 92%. So as John’s business grew, his finances quickly recovered.
Sixteen years later, when the business sold for a significant profit, it had locations in twenty-one US cities. Sales had increased by twenty-seven times.
John hadn’t created wealth on his own. God had given him great opportunities. Luke 12:48 became his heartbeat. His family enjoyed wealth, and wealth allowed them to give much.
“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:48 NKJV).
After the family spent three weeks with missionaries in the Philippines, they embraced a specific purpose: “to equip and encourage missionaries.”
When John started his first business, he had worked for his own glory. But now, John says, “God gets the glory because without Him we would have failed.”
If you hold a mirror to your finances, what do you see? Amassing wealth can enslave a man, but using it the way God wants, gives a man’s life purpose.
Based on an interview with John Peters,* September 10, 2019.
*pseudonym
Story read by: Chuck Stecker
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project manager: Blake Mattocks
© 2020, 365 Christian Men, LLC. All rights reserved.