Things are not looking great.

I have spent most of my adult life studying money, markets, business, investments, and the economy. For nearly four decades, I worked in financial services and financial education, and even now that I am in full-time ministry, I still find myself watching economic numbers, market movements, business trends, interest rates, investments, and the changing condition of the Philippine economy. Lately, I have to admit that I have been increasingly concerned.

The numbers tell us that something is not quite right. The Philippine economy grew by only 2.3 percent in the second quarter of 2026, while first-half growth was only about 2.6 percent. Industry contracted by 2.4 percent during the second quarter, construction fell sharply by 13.9 percent, and gross capital formation, an important indicator of investment in productive capacity, declined by 9.2 percent. Inflation has also become a serious concern again. Headline inflation reached 6.1 percent in August 2026, only slightly lower than the 6.2 percent recorded in July. Food, housing and utilities, and transportation remained major contributors to rising prices. These figures are not simply statistics on a spreadsheet. They eventually show up in grocery bills, electricity bills, transportation costs, operating expenses, payroll pressures, and the daily budgets of Filipino families.

The labor market is also showing signs of strain. Unemployment reached 6.0 percent in July 2026, representing more than three million unemployed Filipinos, compared with 5.3 percent a year earlier. In Metro Manila, unemployment was even higher. Real estate, an industry that often reveals what is happening beneath the surface of the economy, has also been under pressure. Office transactions have slowed, vacancy rates remain elevated, and the residential condominium market continues to deal with significant unsold inventory and delayed project launches. For business owners, these conditions translate into very practical realities. Customers become more cautious, financing becomes more difficult, margins get thinner, projects are delayed, expansion plans are reconsidered, and employers become more hesitant to hire.

At the same time, I do not want to paint a picture of complete economic collapse because that would not be accurate. There are still areas of resilience. Manufacturing has continued to grow in certain periods, and approved investments have remained strong in some sectors. There are still businesses expanding, entrepreneurs innovating, and industries finding new opportunities. We should therefore resist both extremes. We should not panic, but neither should we pretend that everything is fine. What we are facing is a season that should cause us to think more deeply about the kind of economy we are building and, more importantly, the kind of people we are becoming.

For many years, our conversations about economics have largely revolved around GDP growth, inflation, employment, interest rates, investment flows, stock prices, property values, corporate profits, and government policy. All of these things matter, and as someone who has spent most of my professional life in finance, I would never dismiss them. Sound policy matters. Good governance matters. Productivity matters. Investment matters. Strong institutions matter. Yet perhaps our greatest problem is not merely that we need better economics. Perhaps we also need a better understanding of what economics is ultimately for.

I have become increasingly convinced that what we need now is Kingdom Economics.

Kingdom Economics begins with a truth that fundamentally changes the way we think about money, wealth, business, work, capital, and economic life. God owns everything. Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” If that is true, then my money ultimately belongs to God. My business belongs to God. My investments belong to God. My abilities, opportunities, influence, and resources all belong to God. Even the marketplace belongs to God. Once we understand this, ownership begins to look very different because biblical ownership is really stewardship.

This is one reason theologian Abraham Kuyper has profoundly influenced the way I think about business, economics, and the theology of work. Kuyper famously wrote that there is not “a single square inch” of human life over which Christ does not declare, “Mine!” That statement is not simply theological poetry. It has enormous implications for business and economics. If Jesus is Lord, then He is not Lord only on Sundays. He is Lord of the boardroom, the factory, the bank, the stock market, the investment portfolio, the family business, the startup, and the entire marketplace. There is no part of our economic life that exists outside His lordship.

Kingdom Economics, therefore, is not simply about attaching Bible verses to capitalism. Neither is it about replacing sound economics with religious language. It recognizes that markets, enterprise, investment, private property, entrepreneurship, capital, productivity, and profit can all serve legitimate and important purposes. Profit is important because businesses need to survive, grow, employ people, and create value. Capital is important because it allows ideas to become enterprises and enterprises to expand. Wealth creation can be good because it provides jobs, supports families, funds innovation, and enables generosity. But none of these things can become ultimate. Profit cannot become our god, wealth cannot define our worth, growth cannot become our identity, and capital cannot become our master.

Jesus warned us very clearly in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve both God and money. The problem is not money itself. The problem is when money moves from being a tool in our hands to becoming the master of our hearts. Kingdom Economics therefore asks deeper questions. It asks not only how much we can make, but what God has entrusted to us. It asks not only how quickly we can grow, but whom our growth is serving. It asks not only what return our capital can generate, but what kind of good our capital is producing. It asks not only how wealthy we can become, but how faithful we can be with what God has placed in our hands.

When economies struggle, our instinct is often to immediately look for technical solutions. We talk about interest rates, government spending, infrastructure, tax incentives, foreign investment, industrial policy, and regulatory reform. Again, all of these have their place. Good policy can improve lives, and poor policy can cause real damage. But as Christians, our response cannot end there. There are moments when we also need to ask deeper questions about our hearts.

Have we begun to trust too much in economic growth? Have we placed too much confidence in wealth? Have we mistaken prosperity for security? Have we allowed greed, corruption, consumerism, and self-interest to shape our economic life? Have we built businesses simply to enrich ourselves rather than to serve people? Have we treated employees merely as expenses to be managed rather than as people created in the image of God? Have we forgotten the poor while pursuing prosperity? These are uncomfortable questions, but perhaps difficult seasons are exactly the times when we need to ask them.

This is why I believe one of the things we desperately need today is humility. 2 Chronicles 7:14 was spoken specifically to God’s covenant people Israel, so we should be careful not to turn it into a mechanical formula for national prosperity. Yet its call to humility, prayer, repentance, and seeking God still speaks powerfully to the posture God’s people should have. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…” Before we rush to ask God to fix the economy, perhaps we should also ask Him to examine our hearts.

I often wonder what would happen if Christians in business stopped asking only how we can protect our companies during difficult times and started asking how God might use our companies during difficult times. What if Christian business owners saw economic hardship not merely as a threat, but also as an opportunity to demonstrate a different way of doing business, a way marked by integrity, generosity, justice, compassion, excellence, stewardship, and genuine concern for human flourishing? What if the marketplace could actually see what the reign of Christ looks like through the way Christians employ people, price their products, treat suppliers, honor contracts, pay taxes, serve customers, and use profits?

I believe business people have one of the most significant roles to play in our nation. Sometimes we think of businessmen and investors merely as people who create wealth, but business does far more than that. Businesses create jobs, solve problems, organize resources, develop skills, produce goods and services, generate taxes, provide opportunities, and help families build better lives. Business has the capacity to create dignity through meaningful work and to contribute significantly to the flourishing of communities.

I have increasingly come to see entrepreneurship and business leadership not merely as careers, but as callings. Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us, “Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” The ability to create wealth is a gift, but every gift comes with responsibility. For those of us entrusted with capital, influence, business, knowledge, networks, and opportunities, the question is not simply whether God has blessed us. The more important question is what we will do with what He has entrusted to us.

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:17-18 that those who are rich should not put their hope in wealth but should “do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” I love that passage because it does not demonize wealth. Instead, it gives wealth a purpose. Kingdom Economics does not condemn wealth. It redeems its purpose. Wealth becomes stewardship. Capital becomes service. Profit becomes provision. Business becomes worship, and work becomes witness.

This is also why I believe the local church has an important role to play. For too long, churches have sometimes unintentionally created a divide between Sunday worship and Monday work. We disciple people about prayer, marriage, relationships, serving in church, and spiritual disciplines, but are we equally intentional about discipling entrepreneurs, executives, professionals, investors, managers, and employees about how the gospel should shape their work?

The marketplace is where many Christians spend most of their waking hours. It is where decisions about capital are made, where people are hired and fired, where products and services are created, where salaries are determined, where investments are allocated, and where culture is often shaped. If Jesus is Lord of everything, then discipleship must reach the marketplace. The local church is not called to become a business club, an investment seminar, or an economic think tank. The church has a far greater calling. The church forms disciples who can live faithfully wherever God has placed them.

Ephesians 4 tells us that church leaders are called “to equip his people for works of service.” That includes equipping Christians to live faithfully in business, finance, government, education, healthcare, technology, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, retail, and every other sphere of work. For some believers, ministry happens behind a pulpit. For many others, ministry happens in a boardroom, office, classroom, factory, restaurant, construction site, bank, startup, or family business. Every believer is a minister, and every workplace can become a place of mission.

I really believe that Christian business communities within local churches can become incredibly important in the years ahead. They should not exist merely for networking or commercial opportunities. They should become discipleship communities where business leaders help one another wrestle with difficult questions. How do we lead people biblically? How do we remain generous when margins are tight? How do we make difficult employment decisions with both wisdom and compassion? How do we compete without compromising? How do we steward capital responsibly? How do we treat suppliers fairly? How do we pursue excellence without allowing success to become an idol? How do we build organizations that honor God while remaining economically sustainable? These are not merely business questions. They are discipleship questions.

Jesus gives us perhaps one of the clearest principles of Kingdom Economics in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Jesus was not saying that food, clothing, shelter, provision, and economic realities do not matter. They matter deeply. But they cannot become ultimate. The Kingdom must come first.

Perhaps our current economic challenges are giving us an opportunity to reconsider what we have been seeking first. Maybe the solution to our economic difficulties will involve better policies, stronger institutions, more investment, improved productivity, infrastructure development, entrepreneurship, innovation, and better governance. I certainly hope so. But as a believer, I also believe something deeper must happen. We need transformed hearts.

We need business leaders who fear God more than they fear losing money. We need investors who understand that capital carries responsibility. We need employers who see workers as image-bearers and not merely payroll expenses. We need Christians who understand that generosity is not something we do only after we become wealthy. We need churches that equip believers to bring the gospel into their Monday mornings. We need entrepreneurs who see business as an instrument for human flourishing. We need people who understand that economic success without righteousness will never be enough.

I am still a believer in business, entrepreneurship, investing, markets, and wealth creation. I have spent most of my life in those worlds, and I still believe they can accomplish much good. But after nearly four decades in finance and now serving in full-time ministry, I am more convinced than ever that none of these things can carry the weight of our hope. Markets will rise and fall. Economies will expand and contract. Industries will prosper and struggle. Businesses will open and close. Investments will gain and lose value. But the Kingdom of God remains.

Perhaps that is what we need to rediscover in a season like this. Kingdom Economics does not promise us that every business will prosper or that every Christian investor will earn superior returns. It gives us something far better. It reminds us who owns everything. It reminds us who we are, why we work, what wealth is for, whom our businesses are meant to serve, and ultimately, who is King.

The goal of Kingdom Economics is not simply a richer Philippines. I believe it is a more faithful one. It is an economy where businesses create value while respecting human dignity, where profit serves purpose rather than replaces it, where capital is stewarded rather than worshiped, where workers are valued, where generosity flourishes, where entrepreneurship solves real problems, where wealth carries responsibility, and where churches equip believers to live out the gospel in the marketplace.

In a difficult economy, perhaps our first response should not only be to ask, “How do we recover?” We should also ask, “Lord, what kind of economy do You want us to help build?”

For me, that is why Kingdom Economics is no longer merely an interesting theological idea. I believe it is something we desperately need, now more than ever.

My 2 cents.