John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller was a tither. The first U.S. billionaire once
said in an interview:
“Yes, I tithe, and I would like to tell you how it all came
about. I had to begin work as a small boy to help support my mother.
My first wages amounted to $1.50 per week. The first week after I
went to work, I took the $1.50 home to my mother and as she held the
money in her lap she explained to me that she would be happy if I
would give a tenth of it to the Lord. I did, and from that week until
this day I have tithed every dollar God has entrusted to me. And I
want to say, if I had not tithed the first dollar I made I would not
have tithed the first million dollars I made. Tell your readers to
train the children to tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful
stewards of the Lord.” –John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
He began tithing as a child. He came from a poor family and an absent
father. But his mother taught him how to be faithful to the principle
of sowing. By the time of his death in 1937, estimates place his net
worth in the range of US$392 billion to US$663.4 billion in adjusted
dollars for the late 2000s (decade), and it is estimated that his
personal fortune was equal to 1.53% of the total U.S. annual GDP in
his day. When considering the real value of his wealth, Rockefeller
is widely held to be the wealthiest person in history. See here.
John D. Rockefeller was the very first person to reach the status
of billionaire. At the age of 23, he had become a millionaire, by
the age of 50 a billionaire. Rockefeller was an abolitionist who voted
for Abraham Lincoln and supported the then new Republican Party. He
was a faithful congregant of the Erie Street Baptist Mission Church,
where he taught Sunday school, and served as a trustee, clerk, and
occasional janitor. Religion was a guiding force throughout his life,
and Rockefeller believed it to be the source of his success. As he
said, "God gave me money," and he did not apologize for
it. He felt at ease and righteous following John Wesley’s dictum,
"gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."
Rockefeller adhered to total abstinence from alcohol and tobacco throughout
his life.
At the age of 53, he became America’s first billionaire, a level
of wealth unprecedented in our nation’s history. Though John
had continued to pay tithes on his personal income, his business strategies
were considered ruthless and greedy. Then John developed alopecia,
a rare glandular disease. His body was in tremendous pain and he lost
all the hair throughout his body. The man with enough money to dine
at the most prestigious restaurants in New York could only swallow
crackers and milk. A friend wrote, "He could not sleep, would
not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him." The wealthiest
man in America procured the very best physicians in the world and
they stood helpless beside his bed, none seemed to be of any help.
The physicians gravely decided that John had only one more year to
live
John woke once in a state of great fear and panic. “I had a
terrifying dream. I was on the verge of leaving this body. Death was
calling out to me and I almost surrendered, but then I heard a voice.
The voice of an angel which said, ‘Your mission on earth is unfinished.
Do not worry about whether or not you will die. You will live. You
are a man with a great destiny to fulfill on earth. Remember this,
and don’t forget it. When you leave this earth you will leave
your riches behind.’” This dream made a notable impact on
John D. Rockefeller’s focus and the direction of his life. At
this point in John’s total worth was approximately 900 million
dollars. The dream rekindled his desire to give his money away to
benefit humanity. John became quite radical in his giving and gave
away 550 million dollars.
While some people considered this act foolish or irrational, John
realized something. Not only could he not out-give God, but he could
not afford to lose sight of the fact that the Most High God allowed
him to have money to give in the first place. John said, “It
has seemed as if I was favored and got increases, because the Lord
knew that I was going to turn around and give it back.”
As soon as he resumed his extravagant giving, his company, Standard
Oil, began to show astonishing profits. Even though he gave away the
bulk of his fortune, he gained even more wealth. Even more amazing,
“the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had
earned, his body’s chemistry was altered so significantly that
he recovered. It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived to be
98.” What a tremendous story about the power of giving.
John made the following statement: “I believe the power of making
money is a gift of God…I believe it is my duty to go on making
money and still more money, and to dispose of the money I make for
the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience.”
John wrote: “I have tithed (given 10% of) every dollar God has
entrusted to me. And I want to say, if I had not tithed the first
dollar I made I would not have tithed the first million dollars I
made. Tell your readers to train their children to tithe, and they
will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord.”
The only son of John D. Rockefeller (he had three older daughters),
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., was certainly not trying to save money when
he decided to pay an allowance to his five sons. According to son
Nelson, "We got 25 cents a week, and had to earn the rest of
the money we got." To earn part of that extra money he raised
vegetables and rabbits...."We always worked," according
to Nelson. All the boys were required to keep personal daily account
books. They were required to give 10 percent of their income to charity,
to save 10 percent, and to account for all the rest. They had to balance
their account books every month and to be able to tell what happened
to every penny they earned. Nelson went on to serve as Governor of
the state of New York for many years, and, ultimately, became Vice
President of the United States. One of his brothers, David Rockerfeller,
Chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank, says, "We all profited
by the experience-especially when it came to understanding the value
of money." You'd expect that these kids, raised in the lap of
luxury, wouldn't need to learn these things. Yet, Rockefeller wanted
his kids to understand money. He taught them a specific pattern for
dealing with their money. There is a lot of wisdom in what he did.
The necessity for Work: When you earn it, you value it.
The importance of Charity: Give away the first 10%
The need for Saving: Pay yourself the next 10%
The power of Accountability: Account for every penny.
The Rockefellers, like many of the early North American billionaires,
looked upon their wealth as a sort of spiritual stewardship. Most
of them believed that God gave them the money. It wasn't theirs....they
just were caretakers over it. They felt a duty to manage it for the
betterment of others...... while thoroughly enjoying it themselves,
of course. If every dollar they received was a gift from God, they
were glad to pay 10% of it back. Rockefeller paid a 10% tithing on
all of his earnings for his entire life. He assumed that God was his
silent partner. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
