For the last three weeks we have been addressing one of the more popular Scriptures of our time, Proverbs 13:22, “...the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” This is a true promise that is corroborated by many other biblical prophecies. It will come to pass for those who are prepared for it, and should be part of our preparation for these times.
In Proverbs 8:18 wisdom personified says, "Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.” It is apparent from the Scriptures that the pursuit of wisdom, not wealth, is the path to true, enduring wealth. It is also clear that wealth received before wisdom is a curse, not a blessing.
A good example of this is from the reports on how winning the lottery changed the lives of those who won. It seems that most not only lose their winnings after a short period of time, but they end up in even worse poverty than before, becoming bitter, without friends, and without the jobs that they used to have. There may be some who are better off because of winning the lottery, but I am yet to hear a story of any single lottery winner whose life is better off just five years after their “great fortune.”
For these it seems that Proverbs 23:4-5 is especially appropriate: “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.” As Proverbs 28:22 confirms, “A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, and does not know that want will come upon him.” The apostle Paul gives the most poignant exhortations concerning this in I Timothy 6:3-10:
he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,
and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.
For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
Yet, as Proverbs 8:18 that was previously quoted states, there is an enduring wealth that comes from the pursuit of wisdom. Proverbs 15:6 also declares, “Much wealth is in the house of the righteous.” It seems that we have a paradox here, but there is really no conflict in the teaching of Scripture concerning wealth. The key seems to be that those who pursue wealth are not likely to keep it long after they gain it and will also gather troubles with it. However, those who pursue wisdom and righteousness can be trusted with wealth and it will be a blessing to them.
Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it.” As Proverbs 12:27 affirms, “... the precious possession of a man is diligence.” Everyone wants wealth, but few are willing to pay the price for a wealth that will endure. Diligence or hard, consistent work will result in the wisdom that provides “enduring wealth.” Such are “the righteous” or those who do it right, so that they can be trusted with wealth. Wealth gained in the right way will be a servant. Gained in the wrong way it will be our master, and a very hard, unstable one at that.
The Lord once said to me that money was our least valuable resource. It is a resource and does have value, but it should never be the main pursuit of our lives. We need to know how to manage our money so that we can be trusted with the greater riches such as the anointing of the Holy Spirit. What earthly value could possibly be placed on the gift of healing or prophecy?
The Lord Himself seemed to walk around with no money in His pockets. When He did get some money, He gave it to Judas whom Jesus and the other disciples knew was a thief. It almost seems that the Lord tested His future leaders. The Lord Jesus had the resources of heaven at His disposal. If He needed to feed a crowd of five thousand, He would just multiply the little bit of bread and fish that they had and it would be more than enough (see Matthew 14:16-21). Which would you rather have—the money to buy food for five thousand, or the ability to access the storehouse of heaven like the Lord did?
We must never forget that the Lord did not just come for our atonement, but He also came to teach us how to live. The ultimate calling of every Christian is to be like Him and do the works that He did. We too are called to live lives that can likewise access the storehouse of heaven.
Does this mean that we should all quit our jobs and go about preaching as He did? Not unless you want to starve! Until the time He received His commission from the Father He worked just like everyone else. We too can live like that when we are commissioned to it.
Even so, Jesus had but a short time on the earth to do and teach the ways of the kingdom. His apostles had much longer. Paul the apostle walked like Jesus much of the time and then would occasionally get a job making tents. That seems like a great waste of time for someone with Paul’s anointing. When I inquired of the Lord about this I was told that Paul could not have been trusted with his great authority and experiences if he had not been willing to work and be soundly moored to the practical.
The twelve also lived like the Lord much of the time. But there were also times when they had great natural wealth that they had to manage, such as when the believers brought all of their possessions and laid them at their feet (see Acts 4:32-35). They obviously did not do this perfectly, as they seemed to have forgotten about some of the widows and had to institute a whole new ministry in the church appointing deacons for managing this.
My point is that there are seasons for all things. For the first five years of my ministry I also lived “by faith.” I did not take a salary, would not even take up offerings for myself, and resolved to not tell anyone my needs except the Lord. I lived from miracle to miracle and saw them almost daily. Then I was told to get a job to provide for my needs. I did not understand this until I was shown the ministry that I was to build. I needed to learn some very practical things about finances and management, which I am still learning. Now my life is a combination of practical, hard work, and increasingly bigger financial miracles. I was shown that in this way I would be in touch with both heaven and the earth so I could help build a bridge between the two.
I once asked a man what he did and he replied rather haughtily that he “lived by faith, trusting the Lord to meet his needs.” I then asked his wife what she did and she replied, “I work so my husband can live by faith!”
Our mountain retreat seems to attract a continuous stream of people who are deluded into thinking that they are living by faith, when actually they are only living on the charity of people who have compassion on their families. I Timothy 5:8 is a Scripture that they seem to have never read, but we will certainly point it out to them: “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.” If these really had the access to heaven that they claim, they would not be a constant burden to others, but would provide for others the way that the Lord did.
In Matthew 22:29, the Lord lamented about those who were in error because they did not understand the Scriptures or the power of God. It does seem that one of the great tragedies of Christianity is that those who know the Scriptures best do not understand the power of God, and those who may know something about His power do not know the Scriptures well. Our goal should be to know, understand, and live by both. Only then will we cease to keep making the same mistakes that are usually repeated by every new spiritual generation.
It is not a matter of discipline or faith, but faith with discipline. If we would devote ourselves to seeking character more than wealth, we could be trusted with more wealth. Just as the devil tried to tempt Jesus, he will give you the world if you will bow down and worship him or do things his way. Therefore, seeking wealth for the sake of wealth can be one of the greatest traps of all, but let us seek the true riches of the kingdom while not despising anything that the Lord entrusts to us.