Have you ever woken up to a text message that had the potential to ruin your entire day before it even started?
That’s what happened to me this morning. I got some bad news from a previous employer, telling me that the work I did for them back in September, which I still haven’t been paid for, should be paid at half the wage I had been told before starting the job. Thus began some negotiations even before I got my morning coffee.
Cast all your care upon him because he cares for you, a little voice in the back of my mind reminded me.
When I finally got to sit down with my Bible and cup of coffee, I started with Proverbs 11. (As you did, if you are doing the Proverbs Reading Challenge with me!)
What a comfort! I read to verse 4 and was reminded that riches are not what saves us. And that is very encouraging when you are facing a lean season in life.
4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
Proverbs 11:4
but righteousness delivers from death.
As I lifted my face to meditate on these things, I looked out the window, and what should land in my view but a tiny sparrow, a rare sight in this cold season in Alberta.
Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
God is so generous and gracious to us. He will provide, just as He always has. Encouraged, I began reading again and remembered that Proverbs 11 has much more to say about money and how we are to invest our time and resources. Here are a few key concepts to notice:
Give, don’t hoard
24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
Proverbs 11: 24-26
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
26 The people curse him who holds back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
When we are in a lean season of life, when the money coming in is barely enough to cover the bills, and savings is impossible, it can cause us to grip more tightly onto the little we do have. We can think that generosity is a virtue we will cultivate when we actually have something to give away.
But that is backwards. These lean seasons are a good time to cultivate the habit and attitude of generosity. When we calibrate our understanding of how God’s provision works and how we are to treat the small things He has given, it means that we will then be able to live that out on a larger scale when we have more in a season of abundance.
However, when we grasp tightly onto everything we have, fearing the worst, we become ruled by fear. Then, even when we do have more, we will hold onto it, thinking it must only be saved. Our goal becomes to avoid those lean seasons at all cost, rather than to do what God wants with our resources in whatever season we find ourselves. This leads in to the next point.
Trust God, not money
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
Proverbs 11: 28
but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
Money is a great resource, but it is not what will save us and keep us safe. God is our refuge and strength. He is the one that we can look to for help in every situation. And growing in our faith and trust in Him will help us flourish, no matter what our circumstances.
Love people, not things
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise.
Proverbs 11:30
After we look up vertically and trust God to provide for us, we can see more clearly to look out horizontally to the people around us who need help and salvation. This is where we want to focus our energy and attention. When we are trusting in God for our financial provision, it is possible for us to invest our time and energy in other people.
Jesus also told a parable that is the perfect case study for the principles of Proverbs 11. In Luke 12, He tells about the rich fool who spent all of his energy hoarding his possessions and working for more. The man worked to his own ruin because he had failed to do what would have eternal significance.
20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:20-21
Christ ends the parable with this teaching:
31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:31-34
When I fear whether I will get what I have worked for, or whether I can get the things that I need in the future, I can meditate on these things. We can all recalibrate our understanding of resources and finances according to God’s truth.
By starting our day with scripture and following some kind of reading plan, we set the table for God to lay out the truths we hunger for. I am so grateful for this providential alignment to help God’s message to rule my day rather than any text message I receive.
This article is part of a series through the book of Proverbs. You can read more meditations on Proverbs on other pages of this site. Also, please consider joining the Proverbs Reading Challenge!
