Wealth Accumulation System - Petroleum System

While taking my bath on the morning of the 9th of May 2012, some “freshly baked” insights flooded my mind.

It is possible to liken wealth accumulation “system” or process to a petroleum system in some dimensions. Note that there is difference between wealth creation and wealth accumulation.

Where wealth creation is the process by which wealth is being generated, the accumulation refers to damming this continuous generation of wealth.

As a professional in petroleum geoscience, there are five key elements/process that is very important for hydrocarbon accumulation.

• Source Rock
• Migration pathway
• Reservoir
• Trap

Source Rock (God)

Of course as a Christian I fully understand that God is the source of my wealth. Just as it is absolutely impossible to have a petroleum system in existence without a source rock, so it is impossible for a Christian to accumulate without God. Deut 8:18, John15:5. He is my source and He is my Rock.

Usually quality and quantity of hydrocarbon released is dependent on the quality and temperature of burial of the source rock. Similarly, our commitment and devotion to God and His values largely determines the quality and quantity of our wealth accumulation. Josh1:8, John 4:24, James1:25

Migration Pathway (Means of wealth acquisition)

The next phase after the source rock is adequately buried and heated to some range of temperatures referred to as the Oil kitchen, hydrocarbon is released. Hydrocarbon then starts moving along a route referred to as the migration pathway.

These routes are synonymous to the various means by which God (the source) can release wealth to us: jobs, businesses, investments, real estates, people etc. Gen26:12-14 (Farmer/Shepherd – Entrepreneur), Gen29:20, 30 (Farmer/Shepherd – Employee), Acts18:3 (Tentmaker – Entrepreneur), Col4:14 (Doctor – Professional) etc.

 The Source (God) discharges wealth to us through diverse means (pathway). It is important for us to understand that the wealth from God will still come through one of these numerous means. The capacity of an individual to discover and identify this means is critical to wealth accumulation just as discovering and identical a potential hydrocarbon migration pathway is critical for hydrocarbon accumulation.

Reservoir (Knowledge and Skills)

The hydrocarbon moves migrates from the source along the migration pathways and locate themselves in the reservoir. The reservoir in a petroleum system is the necessary sediments that the released hydrocarbon can reside inside in large quantity. The significance/relevance of a reservoir is not in its storage of hydrocarbon but in its ability to release the hydrocarbon when needed.

 Similarly in wealth accumulation, knowledge and skills acquisitions of pathways (means through which the source is releasing wealth) is vital. If God is releasing wealth to you as a professional, then for the wealth to reside and accumulate at all, you would need to acquire relevant skills and information in your profession. If the means is entrepreneurship, you will need the necessary skill set to accumulate enough wealth flowing through this means from the source (God). The same goes for investments, real-estates etc. Note that the thicker and wider the reservoir, the more volume of hydrocarbon is expected to accumulate in it. Likewise in wealth accumulation, the more skills and knowledge any pathway or means, the more volume of wealth is expected be accumulated.

However, a critical factor of the reservoir is timing. This implies that if the reservoir is not in place before hydrocarbon migration gets to that point, there will be no favorable accumulation. Timing is likewise essential in wealth accumulation; there is no point

It is risky to start learning how to swim when drowning in the ocean, it is doing the right thing at the wrong time.

Trap (Lifestyle)

The trap is the one element that ensures that all the effort of accumulation is not lost. Without a trap in a petroleum system, there is no hydrocarbon accumulation to be discovered. In fact the integrity of a trap is an important characteristic that determines if hydrocarbon exploration pursuit would be a worthwhile task or not.

The trap is analogous of an individual’s lifestyle. An individual lifestyle would determine if all the wealth released from God (the source) with all the skills and knowledge acquired in good timing will be accumulated or not.

When hydrocarbon is accumulated, its worth is not in the accumulation but in the successful exploitation – bringing it to surface. Likewise for wealth accumulation, the significance of wealth accumulation is not in accumulation, but in the proper utilization of the accumulated wealth in the manifestation of the divine plan of God.