In high school, I desperately wanted to be tall. We had several players on our basketball team who were 6’5” or taller, and I envied them. They could dunk with ease and were far more imposing on defense than I was. I prayed for a growth spurt and even tried hanging from doorframes to stretch myself out, but nothing worked. While height is often out of our control, understanding God’s will for the wealthy is a crucial responsibility for Christians navigating financial stewardship.
Less than 1% of the global population stands 6’5” or taller. If you reach that height, you are officially a “one-percenter” in terms of stature. Of course, being tall comes with its own set of challenges—cramped airplane seats, low hotel showerheads, and small cars—but many still envy that physical advantage. In the same way that physical stature sets people apart, there is an ongoing discussion of wealthy preachers and stewardship that highlights how financial status requires specific spiritual discipline.
While 6’5” makes you a one-percenter in height, the threshold for global wealth is surprisingly low. According to data from Global Rich List, an annual income of $30,000 places you in the top 1.2% of earners worldwide. To put that in perspective, while it takes you one year to earn that amount, it would take a worker in Ghana 187 years to earn the same. If you earn $30,000, you are effectively a global one-percenter. Just as height presents unique hurdles, wealth brings its own spiritual challenges, especially as shifts in church giving and digital stewardship change how we manage our resources.
So, what does God want for us one-percenters? The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy and challenged him to instruct the rich who lived in Ephesus. He wrote, “Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of what is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:17–19).
In the passage, we see three commands (three “be” statements) of the type of people we should be. God desires one-percenters to be these three things.
1. Be Humble.
There are plenty of examples in the Bible of godly people who were also wealthy. God does not condemn us for wealth but he does warn us about wealth—that it can take our affections away from him. In the Scripture we are not condemned for having money, but we are warned about the danger of money having us. We are to be humble, to realize that anything we have is only because he gave it. We only have what we have received from him. The solution to arrogance is to set our hope on God, not the uncertainty of wealth. The market ebbs and flows; his mercy remains constant. Home values fluctuate; he is the same yesterday, today and forever.
2. Be Rich in Good Works.
We are to live in such a way that people speak more of our works than our wealth—that we treat people kindly and justly, that we serve others, that we show hospitality and that we offer mercy.
3. Be Generous.
Growing in generosity reveals a growing understanding of God’s generosity to us. Because he is generous and has been generous to us, we are called to be generous to others. We store treasures in the coming age by being generous to God’s kingdom in this age.
One-percenters: Be humble. Be rich in good works. Be generous.
This article originally appeared on EricGeiger.com and is reposted here by permission.