What About Money? : Proverbs
What
about money? For this sermon in
our Proverbs series I did a survey to see what Proverbs has to say to the
Christian on the topic of Money.
What I found is that if you want to be rich, I mean truly rich, then you
need to exchange your pursuit of money for a pursuit of righteousness through a
relationship with Christ. When
your relationship to God becomes your top priority in life then what you will
find is that the blessing of God will follow. Now let me be clear, this is not the prosperity Gospel. The blessing of God in the Bible
usually refers to His active loving presence and yet, this is sometimes
accompanied with great wealth in this life. God has promised all His children wealth through the inheritance
we receive in Christ but the fullness of that blessing is yet to come. At the same time, God can and does
bless some materially in this life.
We must be careful to never draw a connection between our material
wealth and our spiritual standing before God.
Proverbs
gives us four practical ways to deal with money as we pursue God as our top
priority. Proverbs urges us: to be
generous, to work hard, to financially plan, and to be content. In this sermon I will deal with these
practical areas of Godly money management in turn.
Be Generous. Being generous really comes in two forms. First, we are generous in giving to the
Lord through our tithes and offers.
Secondly, we are generous to other people. Proverbs 3:9-10 urges us to give the “first fruits” of everything
we have in thankfulness to God for His provision so that our “barns will be
filled with plenty, and [our] vats will be bursting with wine,” or in other
words, God will continue to provide for our needs abundantly. When we give to the Lord we proclaim
that by faith we trust Him to take care of our needs. Likewise, then we give to others. Proverbs 11:24-25 and Proverbs 19:17 speak of the way the
Lord rewards those that are willing to give to others in need. God honors our generosity as we
proclaim with every act of giving that we trust Him as the ultimate provider.
Work Hard. The Bible is very clear that money and material
blessing are usually the fruit of hard work. Proverbs 10:14, Proverbs 20:13, Proverbs 28:19, and Proverbs
21:17 all witness to this basic fact of life. Hard work is something that has been somewhat lost in the
current generation. The surprising
fact of the matter is that most of us are riding the wave of the previous
generation’s hard work. If your
budget is feeling a little tight, check yourself and see if you are putting in
the hard work financial blessing demands.
Financially Plan. Do you budget?
Do you set financial goals in your family? Have you been saving for a rainy day? Proverbs 21:5,
Proverbs 13:22, and Proverbs 16:3 all encourage us to financially plan. In addition, we should lay our
financial plans before the Lord and see if they align with His desires and
plans for our life. Not only will
God establish our plans if they are in accord with His will but we may bless
our children for generations to come.
Be Content. This may be the hardest of all the financial
disciplines that Wisdom calls us to in Proverbs. Proverbs 30:8 is a dangerous prayer if you want to get rich
but what is at the core of this prayer is a high view of the riches found in our
relationship with God. Proverbs
30:8 understands that having God is true blessing. I challenge you to consider this prayer for your life. Proverbs 27:20 and Proverbs 22:7 speak
of the dangers we can fall into if we are not content. Instead let us “keep [our lives] free
from love of money, and be content with what [we] have” as Hebrews 13:5
instructs us. We can be content
because we have Jesus and HE OWNS EVERYTHING.
1
Peter 1:4 tells us that “we have been born again through Christ to an
inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for
you.” May we set our sights on
that prize, the only real prize of lasting worth. Let me urge you to exchange your pursuit of money for a
pursuit of righteousness through a relationship with Christ. If you will make you relationship to
God your top priority in life, what you will find is that the blessing of God
will follow.
Enjoy
the sermon.
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