Month: August 2017

Lessons from the fall of UT Bank and Capital Bank

He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28)

This past Monday (14th August 2017), Ghanaians were stunned to hear that UT Bank and Capital Bank, two seemingly successful banks, had been shut down by the Bank of Ghana and taken over by Ghana Commercial Bank for non-performance and undercapitalization among other issues. In this time of uncertainty, it is right for us to pray for those affected by the upheaval, particularly the staff and suppliers who are suddenly facing the very real prospect of unemployment in the near future. At the same time, as Christians, we shouldn’t miss the lessons to be learned from this kind of news.

  1. There is no such thing as a truly safe investment on this earth.

    Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)

    As far as we know, all deposits in those two banks are still safe. But the sudden news of their demise must come as a reminder to bank customers that anything can happen to your finances on earth at any time. You may trust in the bank to keep your money safe, but the bank is a human institution with weaknesses and failures of its own. Only riches stored up in heaven can never be lost.

  2. In light of the above, while the Bible does call us to be good stewards of our earthly resources, they are not to be our ultimate source of hope.

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17)

I believe this warning goes to all of us, rich or poor. If God has blessed you with material wealth, your mindset should be “Thank you God for this rich blessing” and not “Sweet! Look at all this loot!” And conversely if you are in a tight situation, don’t deceive yourself and think that everything will be perfect once you have a little more money. Trust God for His provision at His timing, knowing that the same Lord gives and takes away (Job 1:21).

3. Someday this world and its riches will all disappear in a flash.

In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! (Revelation 18:17a)

The book of Revelation tells us one of the things that will accompany the end of the world is the destruction of the world’s financial systems in a brief period of time. Just as we woke up one morning to discover two banks gone, so also we might wake one day to hear tales of a complete financial collapse around the world. If it sounds impossible, just remember that on Friday 11th August, most Ghanaians thought all was well with UT Bank and Capital Bank.

We don’t know for certain what the future holds, but there is One who does. God, who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). If you are going through a financial crisis at present or if you have been affected by the sudden closure of the banks, I leave you with these words of comfort from Matthew 6.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Trust in the Lord and He will see you through to the end.

Wretched Radio (Christian radio and video series)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things (Philippians 4:8)

Instead of watching the latest music videos and viral marketing broadcasts, why not check out something edifying on Youtube for a change?

Wretched Radio is a Christian video/radio series that has been running since 2005 on streaming radio and video with Todd Friel as its frontsman and spokesperson.

The program covers just about every salient topic pertinent to Christian life today, from salvation to marriage to death to thinking correctly about current events, with a focus on providing godly, Biblical bases for our beliefs while pointing out error in a loving way. Best of all, most (video) episodes are only 5-10 minutes long, perfect for a quick watch when you want to brush up on a certain topic. Todd Friel is always amusing and lovable to watch while never compromising on the truth of God’s Word.

But don’t take my word for it, try some episodes from their official Youtube channel here: Wretched Network. Browse through their uploads and you’re bound to find something that piques your interest or addresses a situation you may be dealing with. Topics like these:

And all that is just from a cursory glance at their page. As you can see some of the topics are fairly controversial in Christian circles today, but what I like about Wretched is that they don’t run from even the touchiest of topics – all backed by scripture. Even if you don’t agree with everything Friel says, the Biblical basis makes Wretched videos a good place to start when gathering info on any subject. Highly recommended whenever you have the time, and at under 12 minutes for most videos, you have no excuse!