When I was a kid, I learned that my mother lived during the war. With great excitement, I asked her, “Did you meet Magellan and Lapu-lapu?”
I was disappointed when she said, “No, I’m not 450 years old.” So I asked, “Did you meet Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio?”
That’s when she explained to me that she didn’t live through World War I but World War II.
She’s 84 years old today and I grew up with her war stories.
I remember her stories about the Japanese Peso.
“When the Japanese came, they printed their own money,” she said. “Eventually, we all got used to them. But after many months, the Japanese Peso began to lose its value. Soon, everyone called it Mickey Mouse money. It became play money.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because of the rumors that the Americans were coming back. You won’t believe me, but when we heard over the radio that the American planes were coming, I remember how I had to bring a bayong of Japanese money to buy a bayong of food. One duck egg cost P75…”
Here’s a photo of the Japanese money at the start of the war…
2 years after, they had to print 1000 bills to cope up with inflation.
My friend, Nanay Coring, Founder of National Bookstore, also lived during the war. She too was a young woman when the war broke out. But unlike my mother, she had business savvy.
With her Japanese money, she bought goods that could be stored until the war ended. Early in the war, she saw what was going to happen. So she converted all her Japanese money to another currency–goods and inventory.
One day, a Japanese officer walked to her little store and asked if she wanted a warehouse filled with whisky. She said, “Yes, I’ll buy it,” not knowing where she’d get the money. She gathered as much Japanese pesos as she could find and bought the entire stock. When the US soldiers came, she sold every bottle to the Americans who paid her in US Dollars.
Mom didn’t do anything. She kept her Japanese money in her bayong. When the Americans came, the money was all burned because it had become useless.
No wonder Nanay Coring now owns 157 branches of National Bookstore all over the country while my mother runs a tiny bookshop in her house!
Why am I sharing this to you?
Question: Are You Business Wise?
When you die, all the money you hold becomes Mickey Mouse money. All. The Dollars, the Euros, the Yen, the Yuan, the Peso…
You know that.
But are you doing something about it?
You need to be business wise like Nanay Coring.
You need to start converting your material wealth into eternal wealth. How? Start giving generously to God and to the poor.
Giving to God isn’t just a spiritual thing. At the end of the day, it’s also the wisest, most practical thing to do. It makes all the business sense in the world.
I know of a lot of very rich businessmen who aren’t giving to God or to others. So their wealth will be very short lived. It will only last until their life on earth.
I strongly suggest you convert your worldly money to the only currency that Heaven will accept. Heaven has only one currency: Love. Loving God and others is really the only thing you can bring with you when you die.
Read carefully what Jesus says. You’ll be shocked:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.[1]
Wow. Can you believe it?
It’s actually possible to exchange what you have for the currency of your future home. While on planet earth, you can actually store great treasure in Heaven.
That’s why I believe generosity is the wisest, the best, the most perfect investment in the world.
How Much Is Your Balance?
Let me ask you a very important question: How much of your worldly wealth have you used to create your heavenly wealth?
How much investments have you already “wired” to Heaven?
When you put your money in the bank, the bank gives you a bank book. There, you find a history of your deposits. If Heaven issued you a “bank book”, how much deposits have you already made so far?
In other words, how much have you loved?
How much have you served?
How much have you used your material wealth to give love?
But Let Me Clarify:
It’s Building Heaven On Planet Earth!
Warning: What I’ll say next will be hard to swallow.
So chew on it. This is definitely not milk for those starting in the spiritual journey, but solid food for the mature.
I’ve met Christians whose only goal in life is to go to Heaven. Their only concern is to guarantee a Heavenly visa. To them, this is what salvation is all about. Nothing else.
Friend, I want you to outgrow that attitude.
Because I don’t believe this is the point of Christianity.
Think with me: Today, there are 25,000 children who die every single day because of poverty and hunger–and all we can think of is our personal Heaven? Today, there are many people around us who are starving for God’s love–and all we can think of is our personal Heaven?
Jesus didn’t call you to be His disciple just so you can go to Heaven only. Jesus called you to be His disciple so that you can bring Heaven down to earth, specifically to those who are in “hell” right now because of their material, emotional, and spiritual poverty. Jesus called you to be His disciple to love the way He did. Jesus died on the Cross so that you too can die for others.
So what am I saying?
Everytime you’re generous because of love, you transfer your wealth to a particular Heaven that starts now, right here on planet earth. And it’s not a personal Heaven, but a Heaven for others.
I’ve got one last thing to say…
Among These 5,
Who Are You?
When it comes to managing money, there are five kinds of people in this world. Who are you?
#1: Gloria Gastadora:
Gloria Gastadora lives on 100% of her income. Sometimes, when she borrows money, she lives on 120% of her income. She’s never absent during Midnight Sales. Her credit cards are faded due to overuse. Even if she wants to give to God or invest in her future, she cannot. Obviously, after all is spent, she has nothing to give to God except her loose change. In Church, Gloria Gastadora isn’t a tither, but a tipper.
#2: Kunat Kuripot:
Kunat is a frugal and fearful fellow. He lives on 80% of his income, because he saves 20% or more for his future. He lives in fear. He feels safe only when he knows he’s got lots of money in the bank. It really seems safe, except that he doesn’t know that putting his life savings in the bank isn’t such a wise idea at all. When he retires, Kunat will realize that his savings isn’t enough. And like Gloria Gastadora, Kunat Kuripot can only give his spare change to God–because he’s always afraid of his future.
#3: Bertong Bulag:
As a kid, Berto was a financial whiz. Upon graduating from college, he already opened a mutual fund. He also started investing in a blue chip company in the stock market, putting small amounts of money every month. He also started a business, and it has done very well. Berto has become wealthy. The problem is that he still cannot give to God, because he sees it as an expense, like it was a luxury he can’t afford. He doesn’t realize that giving to God is also an investment–the most secure and long-term investment of them all.
#4: Wally Waldas:
Wally has no problem giving to others. He is very generous to others, but he isn’t generous to himself. Because he doesn’t invest for the future. Wally just likes giving his money away to people who end up abusing him. His close friends tell him that his giving is no longer helping others, because they have become parasites. But he’s blinded by his need for their attention. Wally, in the long run, cannot even give to God, because his money will be long gone.
#5: Manny Mapagmahal:
Manny gives to God, gives to others, and gives to himself. After receiving his income, the first thing he does is set aside 10% to God. The second thing he does is to set aside 20% to put in investment vehicles–such as funds, stocks, businesses, and real estate. He also has set aside an Emergency Fund–3 to 6 months of his salary in the bank. The third thing he does is to limit his expenses to 70% of his income.
Today, Manny is prosperous. He now gives 20% to God, invests 30%, and lives on 50% of his income. In his old age, he’ll continue to be even more generous. (If you’re interested to become like Manny Mapagmahal, join my TrulyRich Club and get trained in the principles of spiritual and material abundance. Log on at www.TrulyRichClub.com now.)
Among these 5 people, who are you?
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
PS. Save Babies With Me. Our newest ministry is Grace To Be Born. We operate a halfway house for pregnant women in crisis who are thinking of aborting their baby. Because these women have been rejected by their families, we let them live in our center so they can keep their babies or choose adoption instead. But being a brand new ministry, costs are running high and I request for your support–if saving lives and fighting abortion is something close to your heart. If you want to support financially, email our Grace To Be Born Director Rey Ortega at rortega_corinthians@yahoo.com
Thank you so much for investing in Heaven-on-earth!
PS2. Want to go on a Spiritual Pilgrimage in Europe? I’ll be leading a Marian Pilgrimage this October 19. For 14 days, I’ll be bringing a group to Fatima, Lourdes, Assisi, Salamanca, Burgos, Loyola, Nice, Cascia, and Rome. Each day we’ll have Mass, prayer, inspirational messages, and great fun too. For more information, call Beckie at Tel. O2-7229562 or email her at beaconlightevents@gmail.com.
PS3. Seminars from Catholic Community Leaders by Arun Gogna:
MODERATORS
Aug. 1, 2009, Saturday 8am-12nn
San Carlos, Lay Force
Guadalupe Makati
Seminar Fee: Php350
Part of a growing Christian community is having great events. A crucial element of a great event is the Moderator or Emcee. This training workshop will equip moderators to confidently facilitate any event. Tips on dynamics, over-all flow, summing-up and others will be discussed.
FUND RAISING
Aug. 1, 2009, Saturday
1pm-5pm
San Carlos, Lay Force
Guadalupe
Seminar Fee: Php350
Money plays an essential part in every Christian community.
This fund-raising seminar will present how to teach stewardship, how to target benefactors and write fund raising letters, and how to increase giving in your community.
For Reservations and Inquiries, contact:
Noel or Mara at 4018238 or
(0915) 4493600 / (0928)2109765
[1] Matthew 6:19-21
