True Friends

Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour. (Proverbs 19:4)

It’s easy to have friends when you have money. People flock to those who can give them financial benefits. On the other hand, poverty can be isolating.

When I started out in ministry, the Lord told me to leave my job and go to Bible school 1,000 miles away. It was a Bible school few had heard of that wasn’t even accredited. It made no sense in the natural. However, I wasn’t alone. I was already married. The question was, would she go with me and stand by me? She believed in the call of God on my life, and she did. Real friends stick by you no matter what the circumstances are.

When you go through struggles, it will reveal who is really on your side and who is simply there for the benefits.

For us, we went through some low points for sure as we began as students in a new town with little money. As poor as we were, we needed to trust God with everything we had. The good news is God always provided. He always made a way. I have been poor, and I have been wealthy and wealthy is better. But make sure you do not mistake those who are friends of your blessings and not friends of who God called you to be.

Practical Application

Real wealth is found in gratitude and the godly relationships that you enjoy. Take time this week to thank the friends who have stuck by you and believed more in your purpose than your benefits.

Proverbs 10:15; Job 19:13

No More Lying

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death. (Proverbs 21:6)

The desire to be rich has the potential to drive people to sin to gain wealth. One way people gain wealth is through dishonesty and lying. It happens every day and in almost every industry you can think of. The problem is treasures gained through deceit will never last. The Bible says they are like a fleeting vapor - here one moment and gone the next. When people seek to gain wealth through sin, they risk their physical health and their spiritual health as well.

No amount of money is worth losing your relationship with God. When the pursuit of wealth is the goal of your life, you will find yourself exhausted, dying, and full of anxiety. God’s desire is for us to live in His peace.

Greed will cause people to exploit others, lie to those they love, and use dishonest means to gain what they think they want: money. But the truth is, money will never satisfy them. Money will not give them the peace they desire. It will not give them the joy they seek after. In the end, all it will get them is an early grave and an aftermath of ruin.

This is why one thing the Lord hates is a lying tongue. He knows the destruction that comes from those who use this dangerous means of using and abusing others. Not only will others' lives be damaged, but the person who does the lying will be destroyed.

Practical Application

Are you ever tempted to lie to get what you want? Make a covenant with your mouth to not lie to gain influence or control over people. Be wise and know that truth is always God’s way.

2 Peter 2:3; Titus 1:11

Ethical Wealth

He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want. (Proverbs 22:16)

Oppression is a serious word. People who have wealth have an opportunity to bless their community and those around them, or they can use, manipulate, and oppress others.

Money is not evil; it is simply a tool. However, if we are not careful, we can be driven by self-interest. Some are so driven they will sacrifice the things that are important to God to gain wealth.

Solomon, one of the wealthiest men ever to live, had some things to say about wealth. He asked us to have a paradigm shift in how we think about gaining money. Instead of seeing prosperity as a zero-sum game where my gain means someone else’s loss, we need to think of how we gain wealth as stewardship.

Real wealth is not measured by bank accounts, land, and businesses. True wealth is found in the impact we make on other’s lives.

God adopted you into the royal family of the kingdom of heaven, and as ambassadors of that kingdom, we have a responsibility for how we treat others. If you misuse the position to create the wealth and the power only to line your own pockets, there will be consequences.

Unethical practices that compromise God’s values will push people away from God, the church, and the Bible. You will have to answer for those who turn away from God because of your actions. God will reward you for not taking advantage of others and doing right.

Practical Application

If you’re a landlord, how do you determine when to raise your tenant’s rent? If you’re an employer, how do you decide when to give your employees a raise or a bonus? Pray about every business decision you make so you can continue to create wealth ethically. Align your decisions with God’s will and His Word, and He will continue to bless you beyond measure!

Psalm 12:5; Job 20:19