Proverbial life: money struggles

We’re taking a topic-focused tour of the book of Proverbs.  Although Solomon was commenting on life roughly 3000 years ago, his observations ring loud and clear in today’s modern times.  In this blog post, we’ll be looking at a topic that still has a lot of influence in our modern-day lives: money.

Money has always been one of the top reasons for couples to fight; it’s even one of the main relationship wedges that can lead to a divorce.  Amassing wealth is a common status symbol of our “greatness”, but, if we’re not careful, it is easy for the pursuit of more money to become the driving force in our lives. 

Nowadays, there are scores of books on money: how to make it, how to handle it, and how to invest it – and when Solomon was writing down his advice for his son to know how to live a wisdom-filled life, he touched on several places where money intersects with the rest of life. 

In our first proverb, Solomon tells his son the most direct way to acquire wealth:

Proverbs 10:4
Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches.

Money is necessary to make transactions in life.  We need currency to keep fed, warm, and protected.  The best way to keep these necessities on hand for ourselves and our families is to acquire enough riches to afford them.  In this proverb, the contrast of idle hands vs. diligent hands stands out – this tiny saying invokes a ton of personal responsibility and personal action when it comes to us making money.

Beyond basic necessities, Solomon points out another useful aspect of acquiring wealth:

Proverbs 10:15
The wealth of the rich is his fortified city;
the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

Last month, I came downstairs on a Saturday morning, and the entire first floor of our house was cold – as if someone left a window open.  What happened was that the motor on our downstairs heating unit locked up during the night.  That was a $700 repair.  Earlier this week, I awoke in a very cold bedroom, because a fuse and wiring had failed in our upstairs unit.  That was a $400 repair.  And, just this morning, I found that the load of dishes I started last night didn’t finish…because our 10 year old dishwasher died, mid-cycle.  I ordered a new dishwasher today, and it will be installed next week.

I list our family’s recent financial hits to point out that we are ok, because we have an emergency fund.  Putting cash aside every month has been our fortified city when (not if) these types of repairs come around.  If we didn’t have an emergency fund, any one of these issues would have been destructive to our finances.  If you don’t have an emergency fund…start one today.  Put something aside now, so that you are fortified and ready for when (not if) the alternator in your car goes out, or your refrigerator stops holding temperature, or the kids break a window.

However, when it comes to someone having money in the bank…Solomon pointed out that looks can be deceiving:

Proverbs 13:7
One person pretends to be rich but has nothing;
another pretends to be poor but has abundant wealth.

Back in my day, we would have called them a poser.  Pretending to be rich when they’re not?  Totally posing, just trying to make people think better of him.  But what is Solomon saying, that another pretends to be poor?  Come to find out, most millionaires don’t act like the millionaires you see on “Reality” Shows or on TikTok.  Take a look at this Ramsey Solutions study of millionaires…they’re much more like everyday people than you might think.

The last of Solomon’s proverbs we’ll look at has to do with next steps:

Proverbs 17:16
Why does a fool have money in his hand
with no intention of buying wisdom?

Saving money and amassing wealth is all well and good, but what are you going to do with it?  We certainly need a plan for making money and for saving money, but we also need to be intentional about why we are doing these things.  Having our goals in sight enables us to use money as a tool instead of it becoming the goal.  Money can help us overcome our foolishness if we are intentional about paying for the wisdom and skills we need to reach our goals.

It’s been said that money makes a terrific servant, but a terrible master.  In-and-of-itself, money has no morals, no politics, and no purpose.  We must define what those are…because if we don’t, we can get into all sorts of trouble.  If we take Solomon’s advice, we’ll be able to avoid many pitfalls and be successful with money.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Proverbial life: being intentional

We’re taking a topic-focused tour of the book of Proverbs.  Although Solomon was commenting on life roughly 3000 years ago, his observations ring loud and clear in today’s modern times.  In this blog post, we’ll be looking at a topic that determines the success or failure of the resolutions so prominent this time of year: how intentional we are.

New Year’s resolutions are full of nice goals.  I want to eat better, exercise more, read more, and spend less time on my phone…but unless I am intentional about these things, not much is going to change in my life.  When we look at the book of Proverbs for advice on these life-change topics, Solomon’s focus isn’t looking at our feelings of what we’d like to see happen; rather he’s more interested in the results of our actions (or lack thereof). 

Our first proverb looks at a clear, stark contrast:

Proverbs 13:4
The slacker craves, yet has nothing,
but the diligent is fully satisfied.

We automatically assume that the slacker craves the “bad things”, like sweet foods and a life of ease.  However, the slacker’s desires are likely for good things…but without the intentionality demonstrated by those who are diligent, the slacker ends up with nothing to show for his good desires.

Our second proverb continues the thought:

Proverbs 14:23
There is profit in all hard work,
but endless talk leads only to poverty.

I have been guilty of this many times.  I’ve wanted to learn a new hobby, or read a stack of books in a year, or spend more time with my wife and kids – and I’ve talked endlessly about doing each of them.  But since I did not intentionally schedule time to learn the hobby, read each day, plan a date night, or plan a family game night…those things did not happen as I had hoped.  I experienced poverty in those areas because I didn’t do the hard work necessary to make them a reality.

Our third proverb tells us about our plans:

Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit,
but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.

Plans become profit when diligence connects them.  We have to intentionally execute our plans, or else we’re back to being full of endless talk.  Planning helps us stay the course to reach our desired destination.  Planning is what keeps us from being reactionary and reckless, because those two traits will keep you from succeeding.

Our last proverb reminds us what we should be intentionally pursuing:

Proverbs 21:21
The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love
will find life, righteousness, and honor.

When reading Proverbs, if we read the words diligent and profit, but only think about career and money, we’re narrowing the ability of God’s word to impact our lives.  We were designed to partner with Him and successfully represent Him in all parts of life, not just the way we bring in income.

So for your 2023 resolutions, consider pursuing righteousness and faithful love – because right here, we see that God says we will find life, righteousness, and honor.  All three of those sound good to me.

If they sound good to you, too, then be intentional about it.  Make a plan to pursue righteousness, be diligent in faithful love, and you’ll enjoy the profit of a full life, right-living God’s way (aka: righteousness), and honor.  May God bless your efforts to be like Him in 2023!

Keep Pressing,
Ken