FollowtheLeader.indd

FOLLOW THE LEADER

the idea of increasing the investor’s net worth. Those who understand

this have an abundance mentality. They understand that the more

they give away in time, money, or encouragement, the more they will

receive back of time, money, or encouragement.^4

Haggai goes on to make a statement that shocks many people:

The motivation for giving (or investing), therefore, is self-interest,

a motive not only commended by Jesus, but the only motive He ever

used in the Scriptures...Investment is the ultimate path to permanent

gain. Every command and promise that Jesus made was based on the

assumption of self-interest – that obeying the command would benefit

the individual. The principle of investment is so powerful because

it has built into it the motivation of legitimate self-interest of the

individual. ‘Give and it will be given to you.’ Everyone wins.^5

Haggai contrasts the investors with the inverters by saying:

Too often giving which is seen as reducing the giver’s net worth is

motivated by charity, sentiment, peer pressure, recognition, and even

guilt. Such motivation never sustains meaningful philanthropy...

there are just two kinds of people who make up the world: the

investors and the takers. By their nature the investors practice the

principle of investment; the takers are the one who do not see giving as

an investment and so try to hoard whatever they have. Ultimately, the

investors win and the takers lose.^6

In his summary of this whole matter of giving, Haggai calls a person’s
giving level their “IQ,” or their investment quotient. Whereas a leader may
not be able to increase a person’s intelligence quotient, he can increase their
investment quotient through the promotion of giving to worthy causes.
Haggai concludes by saying:

The effective leader devotes his life to bringing his group into the

joy of giving. He leads by his own example. His life demonstrates

to his group the validity of self-interest as the motive to which

Christ appealed. The leader will bring honor to God, benefit to

the world, blessing to his people, and enrichment to his own life to

the degree that he is successful in moving his people to the habit of

perennial investment through the motive of self-interest.^7

Christian leaders are not embarrassed or timid about the promotion of