Good morning & happy Monday!
“Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.”
– Proverbs 12:14
This year I’ve been reading through the Bible in a chronological study. This has been such an incredible experience as I dive into this book written by roughly 40 authors over roughly 1,500 years.
My current reading has taken me into the book of Proverbs, which was mostly written by King Solomon, often referred to as the wisest man to ever live.
My reading over the weekend brought me to chapters 10-12 in Proverbs and I did an insane amount of highlighting in these passages. I actually just looked and there are 91 verses in these 3 chapters, and I highlighted 51 of them.
Today I would like to share three of them with you that just really jumped off the page to me for their tremendous insights into finances. I’ll also provide a few of my own thoughts … you know I’ve got to throw in my 2 cents 😉. (Please note that all these are all from the NLT translation.)
“The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.”
– Proverbs 10:16
I don’t know if there is a simpler statement to describe financial planning. This is living intentional … creating intentional wealth 😊. No matter what a person’s financial condition, we all have choices to make in how we spend our limited financial resources. Do we intentionally use them to enhance, or do we unintentionally use them without much thought? Intentionality leads to a far more financially secure future. Living unintentionally brings consequences that are far from ideal.
“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.”
– Proverbs 11:24
This may seem completely backwards, but this is a matter that goes down to the deepest level of our hearts. I think if given the choice between living generously or living stingy we would most certainly choose generosity, but in practice this can be very hard. I have personally practiced giving a minimum of 10% of my income to faith-based organizations & causes for my entire life and I firmly believe God has blessed that. Would I have more money if I didn’t give away a bunch of it? The math answer is yes, but I am quite confident the actual answer is a huge no. I can’t point to a study or research (I looked), but I have seen that generous people live a much more enriched life than those who hoard their financial resources.
“The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich.”
– Proverbs 10:22
I am a rich man. Not because of my bank accounts or investment values, but because of the blessings of the Lord. I grew up the oldest of 5 children with a pastor father and a stay-at-home mother. Financially we were not wealthy, but the Lord’s blessings were with us … so we were the richest people on the planet in what matters. I’ve been in a financial career my entire adult life (started at age 18) and I’ve engaged with thousands of people. I’ve met rich people who are miserable and poor people who are exceptionally happy. King Solomon recognizes in this statement that true wealth comes not from financial means, but from one’s relationship with God.
The more I study the Bible and the more I try to absorb the wisdom in its’ pages, the more I become aware of my shortcomings from the high standards God has set. I have come to the undeniable reality that I am completely unable to fully live by God’s standards as outlined in the Bible on my own. Fortunately, I don’t have to! 😊 That’s the amazing news of the Gospel message!
Thank you for allowing me to use this week’s memo to share what I’m learning through my Bible reading.
As always, please reach out with any way I can support you. It is such a tremendous joy to be a part of your life.
Make it a great week ahead.