Rich or Poor?

Proverbs 11:24

There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth;
and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.

Proverbs 13:7
There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing:
There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

I guess there is a chance when I get to heaven the Lord will tell me that I was wrong the whole time and these two verses are not connected.  But for now, I cannot help but to think they are.  They both address a theme that has caused more heartache in the world than any other – mankind’s love of riches.  The Bible never said that money was the root of all evil.  It said that the love of money was the root of all evil.  These two verses are exactly opposite to a worldly human philosophy of wealth.  The Bible teaches us that there is much more to true wealth than dollar signs.  This devotion will be different, but it will be a very simple one.  I want to combine these two verses in such a way that they are easy to breakdown and meditate on.  I challenge you to do that, and consider how you view wealth in your life in the light of God’s Word.

1. The Positive Outcome of an Illogical Action.
   There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth – Proverbs 11:24a
   there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches – Proverbs 13:7b
   Why would someone scatter what they had?  Why would someone make himself poor?  To many, that makes no sense whatsoever.  This is God’s economy.  When we give of ourselves, He takes it and blesses it.  Then He multiplies it.  Then He gives back to us eternally.  Remember the words of Jesus, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
2. The Negative Outcome of a Logical Action.
   and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty – Proverbs 11:24b
   There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing – Proverbs 13:7a
   Tryin to accumulate all that you can is a natural, logical, humanistic instinct.  I heard this saying often in my southern upbringing, “Get all you can, and can all you get.”  I think most of you will get that.  Here is the Biblical rebuttal to this worldly philosophy found in Mark 8:36.  “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

In closing, I will leave you with a famous quote of Jim Elliot.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”   

Photo Credit: Kelly Morton