What Would You Do with a Trillion Dollars?

“He who received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more.” Matthew 25:16

In June, Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire. That’s the combined wealth of a million millionaires. Suffice it to say that none of us can truly comprehend that kind of wealth. If you or I had a trillion dollars, after paying all our bills, buying everything our hearts desire and giving lavishly to our favorite causes, we’d still have over $999 billion. Then what? God likely didn’t give us a trillion dollars because we aren’t prepared to handle such a gift.

Wealth itself is not evil – after all, God created wealth and entrusted riches to countless people throughout human history, including Abraham, Job and David. Rather, wealth, like any gift from God, is intended to benefit His kingdom. That doesn’t necessarily mean giving it all away, though using it to help a neighbor in need is clearly part of God’s plan. God also wants people to employ the gifts received constructively. Someone blessed with abundant wealth should use that wealth to better society and humanity’s condition. That’s the right use of wealth.

Whatever gifts we receive, God expects us to use them for His greater glory. It is no different with Elon. The fact that God chose to bless Elon with a trillion dollars means God has bigger plans for Elon’s wealth than any of us can imagine. Just as God prepares us to use our gifts, He has been preparing Elon for this level of wealth, including by blessing him with creativity, vision, and savvy business skills. Rest assured, God’s plan for Elon’s wealth is a big one. Elon simply needs to be open to it. As we pray for guidance on using the gifts we’ve received, let’s also pray that Elon cooperates with God’s plan so that the trillion gifts he has received become 100 trillion blessings for God’s kingdom.