Money provides one of the most difficult challenges to manage on this side of Heaven. The ticks in the equity markets, the weight of risk to return, mortgage payments, car loans, bank accounts, debit cards, credit cards, healthcare, insurance, and the like seem to dominate our thoughts and concerns.
We are called by God to wisely steward our capital resources. The Thirty Sayings of the Wise surfaces five pearls to help us navigate through life’s financial conflict. Left unchecked, this handful of gems can become a quintuplet of anchors that will drown us in a sea of debt. Solomon’s selections address litigation, debt, integrity, wealth, and the poor.
Whether in sports, business, or any relationship, there’s something inside each of us that causes us to power up on those we deem we can crush. When we think we are bigger, stronger, or faster than our competition, we are tempted to feel over-confident and take advantage of our position. God sees it differently: “Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life” (Proverbs 22:22-23). God wants us to be the poverty police and seek to protect those who are smaller, weaker, and slower than we are. He demands a paradigm shift in our interests, totally opposite of our world’s standards.
Who are you tempted to take advantage of because you can? Is it the homeless guy who gets in your way at the intersection where you purchase gas for your vehicle? Is it your spouse whom you are divorcing? Is it your sibling who has less business experience than you as you settle your parents’ estate? It might be a player you are coaching, an employee you are managing, or a vendor you are paying. Perhaps, it is a church down the road from yours lacking the resources to draw the lost through their doors, though their parishioners might offer a more intimate experience. Whatever the case may be, become their advocate, and discover what God does next.
Episode 94: 30 Sayings of the Wise: Finances from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.