Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. (Proverbs 28:6)
This Proverb gives us an illustration of two people walking down a path. One is wealthy, but perverse and wicked inside. The other is poor in outward appearance, but inwardly is upright and righteous. What if you were given the choice of which one to befriend? Would you choose the wealthy evil man or the poor upright character? Wise people would choose the person they could trust and honor, even though he had little money to offer. It’s better to not have money and be upright than to be wealthy and perverse. I’m not saying that it must be either/or. You can be wealthy and righteous. At the same time, many poor people are living in sin. Pause and ask yourself, “What is the most important thing?”
In all my years of pastoring, so many schemes have come across my path that were get-rich-quick ideas. They sounded good at first, but they were morally wrong and predatory. I have had people say, “I’ll present this to the congregation and you will get this much of the cut.” If you are in any position of authority, you have a special obligation to make sure you are not being used by people to hurt those God put in your care.
If you must choose between being poor and righteous, and being rich and sinful, choose to be poor. You cannot trust money and you should never move away from God’s Word to get it.
Practical Application
Evaluate your friendships. Do the people who surround you live with integrity and honor and push you toward God’s Word? Or do they want to constantly indulge the flesh, are full of pride, and are constantly talking about themselves? To be a person of character, surround yourself with those who exemplify the lifestyle you want to live.