Tag Archives: wealth

Lord Keep Me From the Extremes

Church Bulletin, Culture, Daily living, Proverbs, , ,

Would you rather be rich or poor? Does it matter? The wisest man ever, who happened to have great wealth, said it like this:

“Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty or riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you

and say,” Who is the Lord?”

or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9)

Solomon desired neither wealth nor poverty for both bring their own sets of problems and challenges which the King wanted to avoid.

Some have advocated poverty for those who seek the Lord. They have renounced earthly wealth and have chosen to live impoverished lives thinking that the life of the pauper is spiritually superior. And we are well acquainted with preachers of the “prosperity gospel” who call the faithful to great wealth every Sunday through television and radio. Continue reading Lord Keep Me From the Extremes →

Greed Hurts

Culture, Daily living, Proverbs, ,

Greed will likely be the byword of 2009. Just think about it. Thousands of people bought homes they should have known they could not afford. Businessmen handed out loans to customers who could not repay and a slick salesman named Bernard Madoff took the wealthiest among us for billions in a scheme to get rich quick.

We see such schemes all the time. They come into our email inboxes and arrive via US mail constantly. Signs along the highway and ads in the paper all proclaim the end to our financial worries if we will just buy someones secret money making program.

Hogwash.

Here’s some more wise advice from Solomon:

A faithful man will abound with blessings,
But he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.
(Proverbs 28:20)

As his custom in this section of the Proverbs, Solomon offers a positive followed by a negative. Let’s reverse it. The warning of haste in making riches is another way of warning against greed. Earlier Solomon has warned that the treacherous man will caught by his own greed (Proverbs 11:6).

When we seek to gain wealth quickly we often take shortcuts and liberties that we ought not. Often our vision becomes more and more focused upon our selves and less upon others. While we truly hurt for those who lost everything in the Madoff scandal and the other economic downturns we must be honest and observe that many are suffering because of their own greed.

The real source of wealth is often found in a different direction. Wealth is found in obedience to Jesus Christ and full submission to his will. Remember the Solomon searched for happiness but finally came to the conclusion that true happiness and contentment is found in serving God.

There is an abundance of blessings awaiting the faithful if we will just cling to the Lord.

Your thoughts?

Treasures on Earth?

Church Bulletin, , ,

American financial markets have struggled this week. The government seizure of key mortgage and insurance businesses and the bankruptcy of another cause great fear and trembling within that industry. Pictures of business executives wringing their hands and shaking their heads have been commonplace. One picture that stands out to me was taken in front of the Lehman Brothers offices in Manhattan. There formerly high paid employees were seen leaving and taking all of their belongings out in a single box. How sad!

The disruptions in the American markets however, emphasize something Jesus said Continue reading Treasures on Earth? →