Walking with the Wise #147: Little by Little

“Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.”
—Proverbs 13:11

Making money is not sinful, but how we make money might be. The Bible says that wealth gained in a hasty manner will dwindle. The idea is that a person who is obsessed with making money will lose it jut as quickly as they made it. They are consumed with making money and will do everything to get rich quick. Such thinking is all to prevalent in our world today. Young people want in three years what it took their parents thirty to get, and they wrongly believe that they deserve to have what their parents have.

Our culture has catered to instantaneous pleasure. If we go to the mall, watch television, or look at a catalogue, we are bombarded with: “You deserve this!,” “Have it now!” “You’ve earned it!” “Why wait?” “Instant credit!” “No money down,” “Take it home today!” Every sales pitch is designed to get you to buy their product and they will do anything to get you to buy. They don’t care who you are, or how you spend your money, as long as you spend it on them.

The Christian life, the wise life, is not the life of instantaneous, and passing pleasure. It is about prolonged joy and wise living. It is about peace—peace with God, peace with man, and peace with oneself. And learning how to have peace with oneself, is by learning how to live the life God desires. Our world teaches that we can have anything we want, whenever we want it, but that is not real. Those who live in such a way, invite all kinds of pains and fleeting pleasures. Those who live for the Lord will understand that a life well lived, both personally and financially, takes time, discernment, and patient work. We don’t try to get rich quick, but to build wealth over time, making wise decisions and prudent investments, and then watch our wealth increase little by little.

How about you? Are you trying to get rich quick? Or are you patiently working, wisely waiting, and shrewdly investing? God is not against being wealthy, but He is against the love of money, as Paul said,

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs”—1 Timothy 6:10.

Love God, have a proper perspective on money, and then let build it little by little and while it grows, make sure that you are using it for His glory and He will increase your joy. Amen.