Slugs, Bugs and the Diligent

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 6:6-11; 12:24, 27; 13:4

Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.

The hand of the diligent will rule,
while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied..



I have a particular disdain for ants, especially fire ants. If you could envision how my hyper-allergic skin reacts when bitten, then maybe you would understand. The initial reaction is one of red, stinging bumps followed by a week’s worth of itchiness, inevitable scratching, and long term scarring. To exacerbate matters, despite all of my super-hero efforts to eradicate the beast from my oversized yard, new mounds form daily in the heat of summer. They mock me with their endless ambition. This scenario leads me to question the very goodness of God in forming such a creature at all.

But my sinful murmurs do not negate the purposes of God. These fiery ants are to serve as a reminder of the glory of God’s wisdom. God created ants for this very day and for this very e-mail. They serve as a loving life-lesson of the blessing of diligence and the curse of sloth.

Being without a master the scripture says, the ant needs no one to tell her why God put her on earth. She does not attempt to usurp God’s created order and authority over the daily means of grace discovered through her hard work. She does what she was made to do. No questions. No arguments. No complaints. DUTY.

Thankfully, though, duty is not all there is for us even though that would be enough. You see the ants weren’t created in God’s image. She doesn’t have the capacity for sorrow and joy. She has never sinned…but has never been redeemed either. We on the other hand have a soul, and this fact coupled with Godly diligence will lead to a soul that is richly supplied. This is motivation that moves beyond duty towards delight. Delight in the service of the best Master one could ever imagine. It moves beyond stuff and towards relationship with a Master who doesn’t need us to work for Him, but allows us to work for Him. All so that we may experience a full heart overflowing from the fullness of His bounty. Thank you God for this joy (and for ants too)!

P.S. I am still going to take to a liberal interpretation of the idea that God has given us dominion over His creation. The fire ant eradication program is ongoing.

All posts in this "Proverbs and Money" series were submitted by a friend of Aaron's who wishes to remain anonymous.

I'd Rather Be Working

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 12:11

Whoever works his land
will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits
lacks sense.



“I’d rather be fishing”, or so reads the bumper sticker on the half-ton hemi with a 12 inch lift kit. While not all of us would claim fishing as our first alternative, there is certainly no less than a handful of “rather be doing’s” when it comes to work.

C.J. Mahaney, in his blog discussion (Sovereign Grace Blog) on work, goals, and effective scheduling says this: “I fear too many Christians are so distracted by thoughts of the future that they cannot discern with clarity how God has called them to serve in their present vocations. Though they show up for work each day, they don’t work with passion and joy each day.”

Briefly, and not exhaustively, I think there are three anecdotes to this tendency we have to be distracted by the worthless chasing of dreams instead of the working of our land:

1) Daily, remind yourself that Scripture teaches us that work itself is an act of faith in God. God’s means of answering our prayer of faith to ‘give us our daily bread’, is to command us to obey in faith by working our land. Is God sovereign to provide? Yes. Is man responsible to work? Yes. Scripture has no problem saying both, neither should we.

2) Daily, remind yourself that Scripture teaches us that work itself is a ministry of service to others. Your employment is as sacred a calling as singing, preaching, evangelizing, parenting, leading. Do you remember the Apostle Paul? If anyone had the right to forego work, it was him. Yet (this is astounding to me), Paul claimed to have worked hard with his own hands. Why? To get rich? To kowtow to the man? NO!!!!! Paul worked because Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive’. In the context of Acts 20, Paul said that in everything he did, he showed us that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak. Paul’s work was an act of living out the second greatest commandment: to love your neighbor as yourself.

3) Daily, remind yourself that Scripture teaches us that your current work itself is your vocation and is in the center of God’s will. In other words, quit day-dreaming about worthless pursuits and understand the implications on your life of where God has placed you right now. It may be as a no frills stay-at-home mom with crazy toddlers, or a hamburger flipper, or a CEO of a Fortune 500. Regardless, and in any case, you didn’t get there without God putting you there. Again, C.J. Mahaney provides great insight when he says that “it may be that our vocation is not clear because we have not started with these two questions: Where has God placed me? And, where am I positioned to serve others? Take a moment to look down at your feet. Go ahead, look. For most of us, our feet are currently resting within the geographic circle of God’s calling on our lives. In the future God may call you outside that circle. But that is for another time.” Trust and obey in the meantime.

All posts in this "Proverbs and Money" series were submitted by a friend of Aaron's who wishes to remain anonymous.

Defined by Bling?

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 12:9

Better to be lowly
and have a servant,
than to play the great man
and lack bread.



I would venture a guess that this Proverb is not highlighted in the rookie handbooks of most professional sports teams. While many of the pro leagues are implementing creative ways to preserve the financial well-being of their stars, there are still far too many examples of once millionaire athletes ending up broke before their first gray hair (the cynic in me also guesses that the financial ruin was not entirely due to charitable aspirations).

We “common” folk shake our heads in amazement at such imprudence all the while implying that if it were us it would be different. Really? Perhaps it would be, but if so it would only be by God’s grace as we submit ourselves to the wisdom found here. You see, not unlike many of the stars, we are all prone to flaunt what we have and fake the rest. Meekness and poverty of spirit do not come naturally.

Solomon, however, cutting cross-grain against our tendencies, actually argues that it is better to be “lowly”. The lowly one in his example actually appears to have more “bling” and “peeps” than does the pretender, but I don’t believe possessions that are often a result of prudent, steady financial management is ultimately what makes lowliness of spirit better. It is ultimately better because of the freedom found in not allowing our abundance, or lack thereof, to define us. The farce on the other hand is in bondage to an empty image of their own making. Lowliness has little to do with our socio-economic altitude and much more to do with the attitude of our heart.

The same can be perfectly seen in our Redeemer kinsman. Christ is the only one who had the assets to play the part of the great man. He created us and owns the whole universe! But, he chose to walk the path of lowliness and actually became a servant himself. The path of suffering was better for him and thereby secured its betterment for us. Have this same mind in you today for His glory and your good (Philippians 2:5-11).

All posts in this "Proverbs and Money" series were submitted by a friend of Aaron's who wishes to remain anonymous.

What's So Bad About 1997?

Last week my co-worker sent this email regarding the current economic situation. He has quite a way with words - sarcasm & humor being careful tools in this convicting challenge to us all:

After this week’s dismal stock performance, it’s official: The media is screaming how “the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression has now erased more than a decade's worth of gains on Wall Street.” Oh, dear…

O.K., what’s done is done…so think about it;

Fall or Flourish

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 11:28

Whoever trusts in his riches

will fall,

but the righteous

will flourish

like a green leaf.

Several thousand years running, but was there a more relevant truth ever told? Just last week, a 73 year old man throws himself in front of a 150-ton locomotive, leaving behind his wife and four kids, a result of what was apparently the inability to bear the thought of becoming a mere millionaire. Such was the fate of the former billionaire investor, Alfred Merckle. The native German reportedly took his own life in the midst of preserving the family dynasty from circling creditors.

Read the Proverb again. Pretty simple, huh? Fall or flourish? Intellectually, the choice seems pretty easy. But whether you fall or flourish hangs upon ‘what’, or better yet, ‘who’ we trust. And trust is more than intellectual assent to a proposition such as “Wealth Won’t Save Your Soul”¹. Hank Williams knew that chorus by heart as does everyone else in Dixie. Trust is more than mere intellectual assent. Rather, it is demonstrated by the action we take in response to our affections. Paschal said that we’ll always pursue that which we believe will make us ultimately happy². For one person, their affections drive them to jump in front of a train, spilling their bowels onto a railroad in southern Germany. For another, the object of their affections will drive them to singing and weeping with family and friends as their bowels are being devoured by cancer. Whether rich or poor, all of us will hear the whistle and feel the rumble of the “Long Black Train” as it’s movin’ down the line. The question is this: will we throw ourselves in front of it or flee to the mercies of God? To decide, evaluate your pleasures today and determine not now, nor ever, to settle for that which is merely temporary.

1) Title of gospel song written and recorded by Hank Williams.
2) "All men seek happiness. There are no exceptions. However different the means they may employ, they all strive towards this goal... The will never takes the least step except to that end. This is the motive of every act of every man...”

All posts in this "Proverbs and Money" series were submitted by a friend of Aaron's who wishes to remain anonymous.

Reep What You Sow

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 11:24-25
One gives freely,
yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give,
and only suffers want.
Whoever brings blessing
will be enriched,
and one who waters
will himself be watered.

This is the oft repeated biblical principle that if we sow bountifully, then we will reap bountifully. Conversely, if we sow the seed sparingly, then our yields will likewise suffer. Assuming you're like me, we believe and disbelieve the promise all at the same time since such free-will giving cuts deep against the grain of our natural person. Can we honestly say that it is better to give than to receive? As an example, my 3 year old son has repeatedly reminded his mom and me last Christmas season "he wants more presents than what he 'gives' to others". I am with you son!!

But our God is not that way. He is not skimpy in His gift giving. He freely and unsparingly gave us His Son of whom the psalmist in Psalm 112 reminds us of how "He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor." If God has given us the Son, how will he not freely give us all things (Romans 8:32)?

What is beyond comprehension at times, though, is not merely that we are so often NOT like God in our own giving, but we don't even admire God when he himself is so generous. Remember Jonah's anger when God showed mercy in saving those despicable foreigners? Remember the Pharisees’ disgust with Jesus' dining with sinners and tax collectors? Remember the older brother's embarrassment for his father who threw an extravagant party upon the return of the prodigal son? Remember your own bitterness towards the one who received the promotion that you deserved? Remember how you thought that you could earn your salvation from God by being a "good" person? Not only do we struggle to give freely, we struggle with a God who gives freely too. Our God is not a god of greed mythology who needs to be manipulated into giving good gifts. God is free so as to never give under compulsion. That’s what makes Him different.

Let's remember how reckless our God is with overflowing generosity. If you do, this hard to believe Proverb will become a little easier to understand and follow. In your living it out, you will put on display your treasure in a God who out of His abundance is daily lavishing upon you unearned favor.

All posts in this "Proverbs and Money" series were submitted by a friend of Aaron's who wishes to remain anonymous.

I Gotcha Covered

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 11:15

Whoever puts up security

for a stranger

will surely suffer harm,

but he who hates

striking hands in pledge

is secure.

Overextended. Too many commitments, too few resources. Countries do it. Companies do it. We do it. If you don’t believe this, then where have you been the last 16 months? Unhedged credit default swaps being exhibit A. 

Solomon warns us against falling into this trap of backwards benevolence. It is a backward benevolence since though it has the appearance of “helping others”, it is at its core a disastrous exhibition of foolish pride. It is pride that causes someone to guarantee the commitments of outsiders while endangering the needs of his own family. Such a person would rather be seen as a “heavy-hitter” to their peers than to quietly provide for those God has entrusted to them. 

How does this inner pride leap into action? Where else but most often through our big mouth. Proverbs 6:1-2 hints at this idea of pride and mouthy pledges. In those verses, Solomon tells his sons that if they have put up security for their neighbor, then they are essentially ensnared by the words of their mouth.

Can you see how it could happen to us? The bait is cast by a smooth talking “friend” who desires the aid of our “partnership” to acquire a “need” or accomplish a “goal”. There will even be something in it for us if we extend to them our resources of time and money. Our ego begins to swell as we now see ourselves as being a real playa’. We feel needed. We feel bigger than we really are. We can handle it. And so, without giving any meaningful time to count the potential costs to ourselves and those entrusted to us, we hastily open our mouth in agreement and slap hands for confirmation.

What do we do with this warning? First, recognize that we are not God. We are not able, nor commanded to cover the debts of others. That’s not benevolence, but prideful pledging. Second, always count the costs of our personal commitments to outsiders over against those God has clearly commanded us to take care of such as parents, kids, church, widows, orphans. Third, give praise to God who is all-in-one the lender, payer, and guarantor of all of the debts of sin we’ve accumulated against His Holiness. God is the only one who has the resources to keep all of His pledges. If we are in Christ, then God has sworn a blood-oath to Himself, since there is no one greater by which to swear, to bless and multiply us even though we in fact were a stranger, wandering far from the fold (Hebrews 6:13-20). What an exception to Solomon’s warning that is reserved for God alone!

All posts in this "Proverbs and Money" series were submitted by a friend of Aaron's who wishes to remain anonymous.

The Price of a Soul

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 11:4

Riches do not profit

in the day of wrath,

but righteousness

delivers from death.

Everything has a price. If we got the money, they’ve got the time. My dad would often intentionally misquote the golden rule by saying it like this: “He who has the gold rules!”. Such sarcasm is hard to counter since we see it regularly tested and repeatedly confirmed in the world around us. There is one exception, though, and it is massively important. In fact, this exception is so weighty and sure, that it is really our own near-sightedness that would cause us to see it as the exception instead of the rule itself. 

What is this exception to my dad’s “golden rule”? It is this: the price tag for our soul is not measured in greenbacks and gold, but in the incorruptible life-blood of Christ. The gospels repeatedly ask us to evaluate the benefit of using earthly riches in an attempt to buy back our soul. Of course, the gospel’s are asking a rhetorical question since we obviously can’t produce the required currency, and since God’s currency exchange desk is closed to all foreigners (Mark 8:36-37). 

Before we chide the wealthy, note that the issue is not whether we have or don’t have riches. The issue is whether we have righteousness. Solomon was the richest king that ever lived. There were rich members of the early church. There are rich Christians today. Riches and righteousness are not mutually exclusive. But, and it’s a big BUT, whether we have uncle Ben with us or not means nothing in the day of wrath. Riches do have a way of blinding us to that fact. 

The determinative factor on the day of wrath what has been internally credited to our account. Make sure that it is Christ and His righteousness. Amazingly, He bore the day of wrath at the cross since “for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

Appendix:

Questions for how we might determine if we are trying to use riches to secure our safety in the day of wrath:

1. Do we spend measurably more time worrying about the security of our job or our security in Christ?

2. … reviewing our bank account or our Bible?

3. … complaining or thanks giving?

4. … grieving over our 401(k) or unconfessed sin?

5. … trying to get or give? 

All posts in this "Proverbs and Money" series were submitted by a friend of Aaron's who wishes to remain anonymous.

Be Careful Little Hands...

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 11:1

A false balance

is an abomination

to the LORD,

but a just weight

is his delight.

It’s very tempting, isn’t it? “Taking a little skim off the top will be inconsequential and anonymous”, we argue with ourselves; “besides, they don’t need or deserve it as much as I do”. More often than we care to admit, we allow our thinking to drift into such a dialogue when faced with the choice to either transact even-handedly, or instead exact a disproportionate share of the deal for our own benefit.

The imbalanced scales takes many forms in our lives. It can range from clocking a bogus 15 minutes on the time-clock, to shying away from a material disclosure on the sale of your used auto, to looting the office supply bin of your employer, or all the way down to my 3 year old son who tries to cunningly take toys away from his little brother.

So why does God abhor these seemingly inconsequential actions? It is partially because this form of stealing cuts the legs out from a God who stands ready to provide our every need. Such lack of faith in His promises ultimately robs God of His sovereign prerogative to bless His creation. He does not ask us to take matters into our own hand and then lining our own pockets. God delights in giving His children good gifts, apart from our slippery intervention. 

Beyond this, questionable dealing does not reflect the character of a God who ALWAYS weighs each transaction perfectly. In fact, the weight of your sin against such a God has created an overwhelming imbalance on the left side of the scales. You will never be able to pay and God doesn’t work pro bono. Sure, we’ll tend to try and balance it out in our own strength with a few good works here or there, along with some charitable giving now and then, but in the end the divine scales of justice will not budge. Thankfully, God stands at the ready once again to provide the payment! God’s forgiveness doesn’t ignore the transaction costs, it instead satisfies them in full through the Son “by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14).

For your own delight, run to Him today for payment in full, and then go reflect Him in all of your affairs from this day forward.

All posts in this "Proverbs and Money" series were submitted by a friend of Aaron's who wishes to remain anonymous.

For Richer or for Poorer

This continues a series on Proverbs & Money.

Proverbs 10:15

The rich man's wealth

is his fortress,

The ruin of the poor

is their poverty.


On the face of it, Solomon at times seems super-simplistic and redundantly obvious; almost Forest Gump-like. For the rich, membership certainly has its privileges, there is no denying that. The "silver spoon" often makes life's medicine a little easier to swallow. Conversely, the poor's lack of resources (knowledge, parental training, experience, etc.) often breeds more trouble. The question is repeatedly asked "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?" ¹.

As clear as this proverb seems on it's face, I think it goes much deeper than the obvious differences in the external comforts between the rich and poor. It goes to the heart. There are two unique spiritual dangers present, regardless of the socio-economic polarities, but both are alike in that they are equally devastating. For the rich, the danger is helpfully defined in Proverbs 18:11 where Solomon repeats the phrase from above, "the rich man's wealth is his fortress". However, he further advises that this wealth is "like a high wall in his own imagination". When the rich imagines himself secure, he forgets God and the walls of safety vanish like a mirage. Conversely, the danger for the poor is that in the midst of their poverty, they turn to despair and curse God for their lot in life. Their internal response to poverty leads to ruin.

So, how should we respond? First, if you are literate and thus able to read this, make a note that you are in the "rich" category (a “rich” classification does not imply the need to be taxed any further)². Second, be content regardless of what you have or don't have. Third, trust God, not your bank account, with your tomorrow and beyond, on the basis of Christ's atoning work alone. If you do, you will be able to say this prayer from Proverbs 30 as evidence of what we learned above: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the LORD?", or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God”.

FOOTNOTES:
(1) -"How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live" - This song was recorded by Blind Alfred Reed in New York, NY, 4 Dec 1929, shortly after the market crash that ushered in "The Great Depression".
My favorite stanza goes like this (some things never change):

Most all preachers preach for gold and not for souls,That's what keeps a poor man always in a hole.We can hardly get our breath,Taxed and schooled and preached to death --Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

(2) In America, we generally don't experience poverty like the Bible writers or much of the world experience. We don't have the "hand to mouth" kind of poverty where one is living solely in search of next meal. Talk of such in America is what makes for a good politician and charitable fund-raising chairman, but is often not based in reality, or worse, it is not based in a heart of gratefulness.

See article by Robert E. Rector at http://www.heritage.org/research/welfare/bg2064.cfm. I noted the following from his studies:
"The typical American defined as "poor" by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigera­tor, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a micro­wave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry and he had suffi­cient funds in the past year to meet his family's essential needs. While this individual's life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by the press, liberal activists, and politicians.
But the living conditions of the average poor per­son should not be taken to mean that all poor Amer­icans live without hardship. There is a wide range of living conditions among the poor. Roughly a third of poor households do face material hardships such as overcrowding, intermittent food shortages, or difficulty obtaining medical care. However, even these households would be judged to have high liv­ing standards in comparison to most other people in the world."

Hard Work, Laziness and the Sovereignty of God

Continuing in a series on Proverbs & money. See all posts here.

Proverbs chapter 10:3-5
”The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.”
A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
 
Solomon, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, harmoniously joins together what are seemingly two counter-opposing forces, God’s active and present sovereignty over the provisions for his people (vs. 3), and the responsibility of mankind to work hard in providing for themselves (vs 4,5). God never instructs us to pit truth against truth. Do you see the two truths on display for us in the verses above? God, on the one hand, promises to feed the righteous one as only He can since He is sovereign Creator. Yet, in time and space God commands His children to work hard so that they have adequate stores for winter. We understand both of these truths by faith, trusting that our rich Father has enough to provide for our needs and trusting that His commands are to be obeyed.

It is therefore clear that the righteous will work hard to provide for the needs of their family and others, this is their obedience to God. The righteous realize that you must sacrifice now in order to receive reward later. The righteous till and toil over the soil in faithful hope of a future harvest. It is equally clear then that God will bless their efforts, even if the blessing in the here and now only extends to the basic necessities of life. With such, the righteous will be content.

Conversely, the wicked are always looking for the “fast” money. The foresight of the wicked never extends beyond the moment. Current comfort snuffs out their sacrifice for the future. Therefore, poverty and shame will come upon them as just reward for their failure to adhere to the commands of their Creator.

Do you see your diligence at work as first and foremost a matter of obedience to God? Do you see it as God’s gracious means of providing for your physical needs? Would others classify you as a diligent worker? In the words of Paul, make sure that you “obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord...” (Colossians 3)

The Diamonds of Proverbs

Continuing in a series on Proverbs & money.

"The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.”
A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Proverbs 10:3-5
We discussed last time in Proverbs 10:2 that the short term gains of the wicked cannot be sustained in the long run, but the righteous will reap eternal returns as God delivers them from death. The next set of verses deal with our relationship with money as well, but before we go any further, it is worth noting how we might best interpret the Proverbs. It may be helpful to think of the Proverbs as diamonds that refract the light of God’s wisdom in such a way that when turned in the hand of His children provide unique, but inter-dependent glimpses of God’s brilliance. I believe there are 3 main refraction points within the Proverbial diamond which display 1) the temporal benefits of God’s wisdom, 2) the eternal benefits of God’s wisdom, and 3) the fulfillment of God’s wisdom in Christ.

As it relates to the first point in the spectrum above, note that the temporal benefits of applying God’s wisdom are generally fulfilled over the long term of our earthly life, but are NOT necessarily a guilt-edge guarantee in every circumstance. For example, wise men at times go hungry or experience earthly deficiencies. We only have to look as far as the apostle Paul for proof of that, or even Jesus who was “worse off” than the foxes and birds in being without a place to lay his head. Nevertheless, God’s wisdom is evident in universal truisms that when followed, generally produce repeated benefits, whether for an individual or a community.

Yet, even if the temporary, earthly benefits of living a life of practical wisdom are not always guaranteed, the eternal benefits are assured for those who have internalized God’s wisdom! They are secure because these benefits go beyond that which is passing away; namely this earth and all that is in it. The eternal benefits are not playing unlimited golf and riding 4-wheelers on streets of gold, but the gaining of God himself.

Finally, the only way to secure any real and lasting benefit, for here or in eternity, is to cover yourself with the ultimate fulfillment of God’s wisdom. Christ alone perfectly fulfilled every implication of the Proverbs. First Corinthians 1:30 says that this “Christ Jesus has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption”.

I apologize for the sidebar. We’ll get back to looking at specific Proverbs next week and discover if our earthly work and how we do it matters to God.

Eternal Investments - Proverbs & Money Part 1

With his permission, I will be posting periodically a series of devotionals on the subject of money written by a good friend of mine who has opted to remain nameless. I'll call the series "Proverbs & Money" (P&M) and post a new segment near the beginning of each week.

I trust you'll profit from his studies in God's Word (pun intended).

“Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.”

Proverbs 10:2

Here Solomon outlines for us an interesting paradox when he states that certain gains do not profit. Solomon does not deny that wickedness can, and often does, produce interim results. However, these types of gains will actually turn out to be long-run losses if obtained by short-sighted schemes. The temporarily bulging profits of the wicked will inevitably be depleted by gaping holes in their purses. They will plant, harvest, eat, and drink, but never have their fill (Haggai 1:6).

Conversely, the Lord delivers the righteous from the ultimate market downturn, “death”. In the short run (our earthly life), the righteous can expect to suffer want and be at the doorstep of ruin, even if that ruin only comes in terminal form. I know this is news to some, but we will all die. An even bigger shocker is this: we will not take our earthly gains with us. However, we are reminded that God is at the ready in such occasions to deliver His children from ultimate impoverishment.

What kind of an investor are you? Are you trying to maximize short-term gains? Rather, why don’t you invest for the long-term? Ask God to give you a vision of NOT what you will need for retirement, but what you will need for eternity. Remember this: the world and everything in it will pass away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:17).