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The Diligent & Skillful Reward |
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22:29: Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. |
When you are diligent to do what you've been gifted to do and you work hard to be good at it then it will be noticed. Whatever you do, do it well. Don't have the attitude that something is good enough when it's not your best. Sometimes you may get in a hurry to get something done because you really don't feel like doing it. But if you're going to be successful then the attitude to have is one that gives it 100%. Determine to be the best you can be at whatever it is you're doing. In your home, on your job, with your family, at your church and whatever else you're involved in. Being content and learning to enjoy each moment will help you to do this. |
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Wealth with Wings |
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23:4-5: Weary not yourself to be rich; cease from your own [human] wisdom. Will you set your eyes upon wealth, when [suddenly] it is gone? For riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies towards the heavens. |
Have you ever seen the carrot on the string hung out in front of the horse so the horse keeps going? He never catches it. The same thing happens when you chase after riches. They can just vanish away. When riches are your goal then you won't live right because you'll do things that are wrong to try and get them. You put a lot of effort into catching them and then find out that it didn't work. Then you start on a new path thinking this one will work. And you're putting all this effort into trying to catch the riches and the whole time you're going down a path you were never destined to be on. You're not fulfilling your true purpose in life because you're chasing after something other than what's in your heart. The most fulfilling goal in life is the one where you are doing what you've been gifted to do. It's when you have a right relationship with God and as a result have peace in your heart. It's when you've come to a place of contentment and joy and you don't need to chase after anything to find happiness. Riches don't give you that kind of contentment but God does. |
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The Drunkard & The Glutton |
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23:21: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. |
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What the drunkard and the glutton have in common is excessive consumption. When you consume things excessively you'll end up in poverty. You'll spend more than you can afford and you'll not be able to maintain what you have. When a person always wants more than they have then you will see that they can't maintain what they already have--yet they want more. A walk through too many neighborhoods will show that there are a lot of people who can't maintain what they have--their house, their yards, their vehicles. You can tell in a glance that they are in over their heads financially. I understand that emergencies come up that may affect how well a person may be able to maintain their home for a period of time. But overall I think many people feel driven from within or pressured from without to live beyond their means. Learn to control your appetites and you will be one step further away from financial problems. |
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Field of Weeds |
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24:30-34: I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, behold, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles were covering its face, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I beheld and considered it well; I looked and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep--So shall your poverty come as a robber, and your want as an armed man. |
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A man's field or vineyard is the place where his income comes from. When a man's field is overgrown with weeds then something is interfering with this man's wealth. Something is taking it away. A weed takes up space in a garden and it uses up nutrients from the soil. It crowds out the good plants. Weeds are the lust that causes a person to consume those things that rob their wealth. When you are impulsive, greedy or trying to impress others then these things will rob you of your wealth. An addiction also will steal your finances and interfere with your source of income. The stone wall broken down shows neglect. All of these things happen when a person is lazy and doesn't understand how things really work. Look to identify the weeds in your heart that are interfering with your wealth. |
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Rule Your Spirit |
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25:28: He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls. |
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God has given each one of us a free will. And He expects each one of us to govern our own lives. If you're not able to manage your own life then you are like a city broken down and without walls, meaning that you have no protection. Anyone can come in and do what they please with your life. You are responsible for what you do and the excuse that other people made you do something isn't going to work. Loving others doesn't mean you let them run your life. God has given you authority over your own life so it's O.K.. for you to say no to someone if you don't feel right about it in your heart. In fact it's more than O.K., it's necessary in order for you to take charge of your life so you can make the right decisions. |
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Tending the Fig Tree |
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27:18: Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit; so he who patiently and faithfully guards and heeds his master shall be honored. |
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There is a reward that comes from doing something patiently and faithfully. Many times we are looking for a quick fix. We're looking for the easy way to the easy life. But in reality, what you are diligent to attend to and what you are willing to faithfully pursue, you will reap the fruit of in the end. Fruits trees will require your time and attention in order for them to produce the best they can. As you tend to them and give them the nurturing required you are the one who will benefit from it. The fruit doesn't go to someone else, and in the same way, you can't expect to eat the fruit from someone else's labors. But your faithfulness will pay off for you. |
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Never-ending Dissatisfaction |
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27:20: Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the place of destruction) are never satisfied; so [the lust of] the eyes of man is never satisfied. |
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There are those who can never consume enough. It may be food, shopping, alcohol, drugs, sex etc. but they are never satisfied. They always want more. They are never content and they never will be. As long as that spirit of lust and discontentment is in your life you will never be satisfied. The way out of it is to become thankful for what you have. Begin to see what God has already blessed you with and thank Him for that. Start with Jesus. Start with the fact that you can become righteous because of what He did for you. But continue on and thank Him for anything you have. Your family, your possessions, whatever. You'll never be happy until you can be grateful for what you already have and learn to take your mind off of what you don't have. Contentment, peace, joy, happiness and satisfaction can be yours right now. |
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Know Your Flocks |
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27:23-24: Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds: For riches are not forever; does a crown endure to all generations? |
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This is not advice to a Pastor to know what condition his sheep are in. Knowing the state of your flocks means that you are aware of your financial condition. Flocks here represent a person's wealth or source of income. You need to know how you're doing financially. Some people don't know and they don't care. They don't look at the big picture. They just live and spend for the moment. Take a look at how much debt you are really in. Look and see what your spending compared to what you're earning. Don't just spend blindly without really knowing whether you can afford it or not. You'll be glad you did because if you don't there will always come a time of reconciliation. |
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Excessive Interest |
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28:8: He who by charging excessive interest and who by unjust efforts to get gain increases his material possession gathers it for him [to spend] who is kind and generous to the poor. |
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Excessive interest sounds a little like credit cards doesn't it? God is looking for a way to channel the money of those charging interest to those who will be kind to the poor. When you hold on to a large amount of money and continue to increase from it wanting more and more, then there is a tendency to not want to give any of it away. You can get so wrapped up in your investments that you fall into greed and lose any desire you may have had to give to the poor or to help anyone else who might be struggling. I'm not talking about earning an income, but about getting caught in a trap of stinginess where you lose compassion for others. A good way to check up on yourself is to see where your heart is in regards to giving to those in need. |
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Fess Up |
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28:13: He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy. |
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The attitude of accepting responsibility for your actions will take you a long way on the road to success. If you're always covering up your mistakes instead of getting them out in the open and dealing with them then it will catch up with you eventually. It's better to admit it when you've done wrong. If you don't you'll end up carrying a lot of guilt and deceit with you which wears on you after a while. Confessing your guilt and doing what you can to fix it will bring mercy your way. And things go a whole lot smoother when mercy is paving your path. |
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Worthless Pursuits |
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28:19: He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless people and pursuits will have poverty enough. |
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One who cultivates his land is one who works in the field that's been set before him. By working at the job you have, or the job that you can have, you will have plenty to eat. But if you're hooking up with those who have a plan to get rich quick or some other scheme to make money the easy way, then you'll have plenty of poverty. Some people can make it sound so good and they can gather a group of people to follow them, but the risk is never worth it if it goes against God's principles for prosperity. If you want a sure thing, then stick with the diligence and faithfulness that the Bible teaches. |
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Abounding Blessings |
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28:20: A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished. |
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A desire to get rich quick not only may be foolish but there is actually a punishment or consequence to trying to do it. Impatience never pays off. Anytime you try to get something quick or do something quick or take short-cuts so you can finish sooner it never seems to be worth it. People put a lot of work into avoiding work. Yet a faithful man shall abound with blessings. That means that he'll have a lot--an overabundance--of blessings. Being willing to stick with doing the right thing, day after day, creates a stability in your life that is strong enough to hold the blessings of God. |
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