This chapter continues with wise sayings, some of which revolve around ‘wealth’.
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat. Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.” (v4, 7-8, 11, 22)
Wealth is one of those words that has different implications for different people. Loosely defined, it means ‘to have ample supplies of a given resource’. This begs the questions “which resource(s) do we value?”, “which resource(s) does God value?”, and “are our values in alignment with God’s”?
The Bible has a great deal to say about wealth. This well-known quote from Jesus says: “‘ Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ ” (Mt 6:19-21)
Jesus indicates the wealth the world pursues is temporary, and does not hold eternal value. In contrast, the kind of wealth that God values, is eternal and transcends this temporary worldly existence. We are also warned that what we value holds our heart captive.
Do we wish to pursue a rich and meaningful relationship with God that will last into eternity, and invest resources into others’ relationships with God? Or, do we wish to invest resources into worldly pursuits which are fragile and vanish in an instant? The choice is ours.
Father God, our Wealthy and Benevolent Lord, You bless us with resources until our cups overflow. These resources may not align with what the world values (in fact they usually don’t), yet we struggle to find contentment in what You provide. Please transform our hearts and renew our minds to be in alignment with what You value, and share those values with those around us. May we primarily invest in eternity, and pursue wealth that never loses its value. In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus we praise You, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training