Charles George - August 30, 2026
/Family Bible Hour featuring Charles George on “What’s in your wallet?” A teaching from the book of Proverbs on God’s wisdom in regards to finances.
Transcript
Good morning. Good morning. That quote, Benjamin Franklin, as the founding father of our nation, this, this quote is for my kids. Spending $7 Starbucks coffee.
I must warn you, this is going to be long. This is going to be fast. At times, boring. The PowerPoint might work or it might go haywire.
My wife has been asking me to do the PowerPoint. So here we go. First, let's pray. Father, we are so thankful for thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, coming down to this sin-sickened world to save wretched sinners like us.
Thank you, Lord, for accomplishing all that thou hast purposed in thy mind. Lord, give us light from thy word and the grace to obey. Bless all those who are gathered here. Speak to us, O Lord, through thy word.
Bless thy servant, give him utterance. We pray for those not able to make. Because of various reasons, we ask for a special blessing upon them. Bless them, O Lord.
Grant them peace. Once again, bless our time together. Pray thy name be glorified, exalted, and magnified. We pray and ask the most precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen. Amen. We have been in the book of Proverbs for the past few months discussing various topics. Larry has put the topic as, what is in your wallet?
What is in your wallet? So everyone, take your wallets out. Let's see what you have. Anyone here as a Capital One?
Oh, yeah, you're set for life. Just kidding. This came in the news, so I thought I'll share with you. This happened on a Sunday morning.
A prominent pastor, not sure if his car broke down, but came in an Uber. He instructed the ushers to close the door and start aggressively demanding a donation for a new car. He made sure that everyone contributed to that cause. Another news, just the headlines, ABC 7.
The headlines raised like this. Pass a different decision to buy Lamborghini for wife as an anniversary gift. You know how much a Lamborghini costs? Six can go up to $600,000.
The famous quote, the secret of happiness is money. That is the biggest lie. It's not true. Financial wisdom, that is our topic.
God willing, we are going to look at the subject of getting money, keeping money, spending money, and giving money. Getting money, keeping money, spending money, giving money. Four steps of financial management that includes wealth, poverty, generosity, and greed. You know, in the assemblies, we did not talk about money.
In fact, in our 22 years at Lake Howell, I'm not sure if anyone has preached a sermon on wealth. I have spoken once on giving on a Wednesday evening. I'm sure you don't remember anything. After studying on this subject, money and wealth, I feel like I'm not the right person for this topic.
However, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I'd like to proceed. We do not speak about money due to two reasons. First is a biblical reason. I don't want to go into the details.
I was just reading the verse, Matthew chapter 6, verse 3. What you do, you should do it secretly that your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing. That is the primary reason that we're not taking an offering on a Sunday morning. You know, worship comes from a glad and an overflowing heart, and so is giving comes out of worship.
So for that reason, we do not speak about money. The second reason is a cultural reason. Sadly, there's a strong association today between ministry and financial manipulations. We all have seen scandals in the American media.
I'm not mentioning any names. Tell evangelists using the hard-earned donations of everyday believers to buy private jets, mansions, luxury items. Therefore, we have made a practice to de-emphasize the whole issue of money. Now, people think that the Bible has very little to say about this topic.
Surprise, surprise. Roughly one out of every seven verses spoken by our Lord Jesus addresses money, stewardship, material possession, and so on. Out of 38 parables given by our Lord Jesus, 16 of them deal directly with money or financial management. Unfortunately, we don't have time to get into that.
The Bible contains more than 2,300 verses related to money. And that's the reason it's going to be long. Proverbs itself has over 100 verses, 130 to be exact, a staggering number. It's not because money is the most important topic, but rather because money is one of the most accurate indicators of what's going on in our heart.
If you show me your bank statement or your credit card statement, I can tell you what kind of a person you are. The Lord Jesus explicitly warns us in Matthew chapter 6, verse 24, you cannot serve both God and money. The New Testament writers spend a lot of time warning us about the spiritual dangers of wealth. 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 10, Paul clarifies that the love of money, not money itself, is the root of all kinds of evil.
Bible scholars often point out that Scripture mentions money and possession more than faith and prayer combined. So clearly this is an important topic. Now when we look at the subject of money and wealth, there are some questions you might have. For the sake of time, I'm not going to read the whole thing.
You can take a look at it. Does my financial security come from my bank account or my faith? It speaks of my heart. Am I satisfied with what I have or am I constantly craving more?
How much should I give to the Lord, my giving? Should I buy a house or rent one? Should I buy a car or use Uber or rely on public transportation? Should I get life insurance?
As we know, proverbs are not promises but guidelines. They contain general principles for wise living, not guarantees for wealth, for health and wealth. Now first, let's build a foundation for our study. Proverbs 22, verse 2.
The rich and the poor have this in common. The Lord is the maker of them all. We are all made in the image of God. We are all equal before Him, whether we are rich or poor.
Psalm 24, verse 1 and 2. We are reminded that the earth is the Lord and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Furthermore, God does not just make us.
He owns everything we have. Let us look at a few more verses to come from that. Haggai, chapter 2, verse 8. The silver is mine and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts.
The resources that God has placed on this earth belongs to Him. He owns all the wealth in the world. Psalm 50, verse 10. We just sang that song.
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. God owns the natural resources. In Deuteronomy, chapter 8, verse 10. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
The harvest and the produce that comes from the land are direct blessings from God. So we see this principle even applied to secular rulers. Esther 1, verse 2. Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me.
Cyrus, King Cyrus, understood this profound truth. It was the God of heaven who gave him authority over all the kingdoms of the earth. First Timothy, chapter 6, verse 2. Through these Scriptures, we see that God is the ultimate owner of everything.
He owns the earth, the silver, the gold, the cattle on a thousand hills. He is the true landlord of creation who gives individual the strength and ability to produce wealth. Furthermore, he hands the entire empires to rulers according to his sovereign plan. So we see that God is the source.
He is the owner. He is the director of all wealth. This is the absolute foundation for our study this morning. Everything we have belongs to God.
People often think that when you give 10% to the Lord, the remaining 90% belongs to them. Wrong. 100% belongs to the Lord. He is the source of every blessing.
We are just stewards. We are just managers or caretakers of the financial resources God has entrusted to us. Deuteronomy 8, verse 18, that he may, but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth. From this we see that God gives us the physical strength.
He gives us skills and intellect to produce wealth through our labor. As we have already established, God owns all the resources. Therefore, your job as a wage earner is to wisely manage and multiply a portion rather than consuming it all. Now, the challenge of money management.
The truth is, earning money is often much easier than managing it. Consider this example. In 1995, a 22-year-old young man, 6'9", power forward, I'm not naming the name, was selected as a first-round draft pick for the Orlando Magic. That is our basketball team.
This was exactly 30 years ago. He signed a multi-year rookie contract that paid him roughly, whatever, throughout the brief career we can see. Believing, he believed that his money would never run out. He bought an expensive mansion and accumulated massive collections of luxury cars.
Cars for his mother, cars for his friends, and so on. By 1999, his NBA career was over. Within just a few years, he went completely bankrupt, ultimately spending six months on the streets of Orlando, out of his Chevy Impala. What a sobering, tragic reality.
God has given him the power to get wealth, but he lacked the stewardship to manage it. This is why God challenges us not to place our trust in uncertain riches, but to remember that we are merely caretakers of what is ultimately his. Proverbs 16, verse 26, goes on to say that we must work to survive. Money is essential for survival, providing food, clothing, shelter, and so on.
In early societies, if a man had no wages, he faced literal starvation and death. Ecclesiastes 10, verse 19, a feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry, but money answers everything. While this may sound cynical, Solomon is highlighting a practical reality, that feast and wine can give you temporary joy, but they cannot pay your bills. Money is needed to solve everyday earthly problems and acquire basic needs.
Proverbs 10, verse 15, the wealth of the rich is their fortress. The Bible realistically acknowledged that financial resources offer a layer of protection and stability in a harsh world. Because money is required to survive, God commands us to work diligently to earn it. 1 Timothy, chapter 5, verse 8, but if anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Taking care of basic survival needs for a family is framed as a core duty. Now, when wealth becomes a problem, moving the goalposts, now if money is essential tool for survival, where does the problem arise? The problem arises when the pursuit of money has become an end in itself. Look at the world around.
We see rich people making millions, then billions, and now pushing into the trillions. The financial goalposts keep moving because wealth has become a status symbol. There is nothing wrong with honestly earned wealth, but it becomes a trap when it begins to control us. 1 Timothy 6, verse 10, For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
Money itself is not evil. But loving it, making it the center of your life, distorts your priorities and damages your soul. Now let's look at a practical basic advice found in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 15, verse 16.
Better is a little with fear of the Lord than great treasures and trouble with it. When we first started studying the book of Proverbs, we established a foundational truth that the fear of the Lord is a beginning of wisdom. Here the writer contrasts a small, humble life lived in reverence to God against a massive earthly treasure that brings nothing but chaos and trouble. There is another verse in Proverbs 16, verse 8.
Better is little with righteousness than vast revenues or gains without justice. The word there, justice, means being honest, treating people fairly. A small bank account maintained with honesty is better than millions built on dishonesty. Now let's look at the economy of the little, how God multiplies.
Now when we investigate the economy of the Bible, our God is a God who blesses little things. He multiplies it. Just consider the entire earth when He established it, when He put man on this earth. He put Adam and Eve on this earth, and today you and I are living on this planet where there are about 8.3 billion people.
Think about the New Testament. Consider the miracle of five loaves and two fish. In the hands of a boy, it was barely a single meal. But when it was blessed by the Lord, Jesus used that little to feed thousands of hungry people with baskets of leftover to spare.
The little is significant here. The writer in Proverbs, he talks about a little with the fear of the Lord, a little with righteousness. In God's hand, your little is more than enough. In Exodus chapter 16, we don't have time to go into all the details.
God provided manna in the wilderness. Some gathered a lot, some gathered little. The Bible records that everyone had exactly what they needed. The hymn writer puts it like this.
Little is much when God is in it. Little is much when God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame. In God's hand, your little is always more than enough.
This is a profound truth that you will find in the Scripture. Now, let's look at some of the warnings that Christ, Christ's warning on money. Now, when the Lord Jesus was on earth, on this earth, He constantly interacted with the topic of money, exposing human hearts. We don't have time to get into it, but just to say He commanded us to pay our taxes to the government.
He called the rich man a fool because the man hoarded wealth as if he would live forever. He showed the rich man and Lazarus to prove that wealth cannot save a soul from eternity. He praised the poor widow who gave her last two mites, highlighting that God measures the sacrifice, not the amount. So we see, even in the case of Judas, we see Jesus was betrayed by Judas for money, for 30 pieces of silver, because Judas loved money more than the Lord.
So the Lord, Jesus, leaves us with a sobering warning. Luke chapter 6, verse 24. This was a question that was asked two weeks back in jeopardy. My kids didn't know that.
Luke chapter 6, verse 24. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. That word woe is profound. Declaration of sorrow and curse over anyone who finds ultimate comfort in a bank account rather than in God.
The Word of God says, hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Now let's look at the only secure bank investing beyond the grave. With all these examples in front of us, let's look at Matthew chapter 6, verse 19 to 21. Actually, this was the verse.
Here he lays down a direct command that cuts through all human economic system. But God says, verse 19, do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroys, where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
So if you are looking for the most secure bank in existence, this is it. Why? Because neither moth, nor rust, nor inflation, nor market crashes can ever get into the treasury of heaven. No thief can break through the walls of glory to steal what you have placed in the hand of God.
Jesus is directly calling us to invest our money beyond the grave, not only 401k, but for eternity. Now I think this is a question that we need to ask ourselves, especially concerning money and wealth. What is wealth? Wealth is when you start accumulating resources.
Maybe it's money, maybe a few houses, maybe a few cars, a few acres of land, maybe in different forms, collecting sports cards, collecting arts, watches, and so on. And the question is, where is your heart? Where is your heart? What is your heart truly anchored in?
One of our friends and his neighboring friends owned a heavy, fireproof, commercial-grade security safe attached to the wall. One of them had gold over $85,000 plus whatever things were there. You know, gold is now $4,500 per ounce. This was a few years back, believing it was completely secure when they left for a wedding.
Thieves broke into their home, and the thieves couldn't crack the safe open. You know what they did? They took the entire safe with them. Their reality is that earthly treasures are never 100% secure.
Is your heart anchored in your collection, your portfolio, your real estate? Is it anchored in a safe that can be carried by thief at night? Or is your heart anchored securely within the veil of eternity, tied to the living God? The Lord Jesus concludes this section with an absolute rule.
You cannot serve God and mammon or wealth. Matthew chapter 6, verse 24. You cannot have two masters. When you choose to serve God first, your entire relationship with money changes.
It stops being a master and becomes what God intended it to be. A tool to manage for his kingdom purposes rather than for our selfish desire. And we also need to be mindful of where our heart is. Now, I want to leave you with a question to ponder.
Imagine you had limitless money like Elon Musk. What would you do with it? What would you do with it? How would you spend it?
Your honest answer to that question reveals exactly what is sitting on the throne of your heart. Is it money or is it God? Think about it. Now, we are going to look at the framework for financial wisdom.
The financial wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs is beautifully categorized into two pairs. Two views, wealth and poverty, that is the external condition. You can be either rich or poor. The other is generosity and greed, the internal characters.
These are the four things that we are going to spend the rest of our time. The absolute foundational principle in Proverbs is that wealth must be gained honestly. The primary vehicle God has ordained for that gain is daily labor. Now we are going to look at different ways in which wealth can be gathered.
Proverbs 13 verse 11. Wealth gain hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Let us be completely honest with ourselves. There is no such thing as free money.
Money gained quickly through gambling, scams, lottery tickets, or get-rich-quick schemes, is wealth gotten by vanity. Roslyn High School, that is in Long Island, one of the top public high schools in the nation. Pretty much almost above 95% of the kids get into the Ivy League schools. And because of that, that has made the superintendent of that school a local hero.
The committee was so thrilled with the school's prestige that no one questioned the inflated school budget, allowing 11 million theft to go unnoticed for eight long years. Easy money vanished, and two of the administrators ended up in jail. God did not design our soul or our hand to operate on shortcuts. Money managed through patience, through discipline, and hard work as a beautiful compounding effect over time.
It grows little by little. Now, there is another way you can get wealth. It is by inheritance. Best by labor, not inherited.
Proverbs 20, verse 21. An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning, but the end thereof shall not be blessed. As parents and grandparents, we naturally want to pass a blessing to the next generation. But if a person receives a massive financial inheritance before they learn how to sweat, how to save, how to budget, they will treat that money as an infinite plaything.
The ultimate biblical example for this is the prodigal son. He demanded his inheritance early, and he wasted it all. Consider this. The largest wealth transfer in human history is happening right now.
Over the next two decades, an estimated $124 trillion in assets will change hands. To the young people here today, you must be spiritually ready and financially wise to manage what comes to you. Best, if gained gradually, not with haste, look at Proverbs 28, verse 20, and verse 22, dangers of get-rich-quick mindset. A faithful man shall abound with blessing, but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and consider not that poverty shall come upon him. The Scripture warns against a haste to be rich, greed, a desperate, reckless rush to accumulate money. God's wisdom always favors gradual growth, little by little, over frenetic accumulation. A faithful man is steady, reliable, and committed to doing things the right way, the honest way, day after day.
When you abandon faithfulness for haste, you end up stepping into the territory of deceit. Proverbs 20, verse 17, highlights that trap. It speaks about dishonest wealth. Bread of deceit is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.
Wealth acquired unscrupulously, might taste sweet for a moment. It's temporary, but it will turn to absolute bitterness. It's similar to that example that I spoke earlier, Roslyn High School. Then you see the progression here.
Proverbs 21, verse 5 and 6. Verse 5, the plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty surely to poverty. Careful planning and steady work brings stability and success, while rush choices lead to lack. Verse 6, getting treasures by a lying tongue is fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.
This is the ultimate warning. Chasing money through shortcuts lies is spiritually lethal. It destroys marriages, ruins mental health, and leads to absolute ruin. Furthermore, God ensures that ill-gotten gains do not stay with the wicked.
Proverbs 28, verse 8, one who increases his possessions by usury and extortion gathers it for him who will pity the poor. The money you accumulate through deceit will ultimately be taken away by God and handed over to someone who actually cares for the broken and the poor. So these are different ways in which wealth can be gathered, getting money. Number one, it must be gained honestly through labor.
Number two, if you inherit something, that is good, but just be mindful that you need to have the value around what you inherit. Number three, gathering it gradually and not with haste. Number four, acquire wealth in the right way, righteously and completely free from deceit. Now let's look at some advantages and dangers of wealth.
Now wealth has certain advantages to it, and Proverbs spells it out, a degree of security. I do not need to explain this in detail. Those of you who have resources, those of you who have wealth have certain advantages. Proverbs 10, verse 15, the rich man's wealth is his strong city.
Proverbs 18, verse 11, similar verse. It warns that money gives you a false sense of security. Proverbs 13, verse 8, the ransom of a man's life is his riches. So certainly there is a certain degree of security when you have these kinds of resources.
The safety they feel is only in their minds, not in reality. You know, wealth is a double-edged sword. Externally it protects, and internally it can blind you with pride and attract dangers. Now, when you have money, when you have wealth, you always tend to have many friends.
Proverbs 14, verse 20. Not only that, wealth also naturally brings power and influence. People have positive opinion of you. Proverbs 27, 22, verse 7 says, The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Owing money reduces your freedom. You become a slave to the borrower. Now, not only there is power or influence, but there is also the ability to speak freely, to express yourself, to say whatever you want. There is an element of arrogance at times with people who have resources.
They say all kinds of things. Proverbs 18, verse 23. The poor uses entreaties, but the rich answereth roughly. A person in poverty must beg, he must plead, he must speak submissively.
Entreaties. He had to beg because he lacks power, leverage, or any other option. We see this play out in the global stage at times. Just a couple of years ago, a prominent example of this occurred when President Donald Trump bluntly told Ukraine President Zelensky, you don't have the cards.
You don't have the cards. In other words, you don't have anything. Just shut up. He was putting him down, highlighting a lack of leverage and dictating terms from a position of immense national and financial power.
A wealthy or a powerful person often speaks harshly. The poor has to beg and plead. But as believers, we must pass the external condition of wealth and poverty and focus on internal character. The rich man may rule the boardroom and answer roughly today.
His strong city is built on sand. The God of heaven is still the maker of them all. Now, a moment of reckoning. Now, these are certain things that you need to be aware of.
Wealth has absolute limit. It cannot deliver a soul from death. Money or no money, rich or poor, must face a moment of reckoning. Proverbs 10, verse 2, treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivereth from death.
A similar verse, Proverbs 11, verse 4. A powerful example of this occurred when the father of one of the richest men in India had a medical emergency. He believed that he had the whole floor to himself, despite having the best medical teams and vast resources at his disposal. He slipped into a coma and passed away a few days later.
Material riches cannot stop physical death or save a person from spiritual ruin. Good character and integrity matters more than money. You know, as believers, as those who have tasted the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, as believers, we know that our righteousness is like filthy rags. As our late brother Howard used to say during the remembrance service, he always speaks this verse.
Our righteousness is like filthy rags, but the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ has been imputed to us. This gives us a permanent, holy, standing in God's presence. A righteous person has nothing to fear in death because they possess eternal life and eternal reward awaiting for them. What profound truth that we need to appreciate as believers of the true living God.
Now wealth does not deliver you from death, and those who have trusted in riches shall fall. Proverbs 11, verse 28, he that trusteth in his riches shall fall. So here we are reminded that we should not trust in riches. Now there are some who tend to overwork to be rich.
Proverbs 23, verse 4, labor not to be rich. The Spirit of God is speaking here about exhaustion of overwork. There are those who take up two and three jobs, stretch themselves out, spend 16 or more hours a day. Now let me be clear here, I'm not here to judge anyone.
You know there are circumstances where people have to work for those hours to provide for their family. These are requirements, but on the other end of the spectrum, there are those who overwork to be rich. They sacrifice their marriages, they sacrifice their children, they sacrifice their assembly life on the altar of accumulation, keep paying money. They end up with a house full of goods.
They have gathered the goods, they are wealthy but exhausted and empty. No time to enjoy what has been gathered. There is another truth which is extremely important and which we need to be reminded that riches easily disappear. Proverbs 23 verse 5 says, Will you set your eyes on that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings, they fly away like an eagle toward heaven. Look at that phrase, that which is not. Bible describes wealth as temporary illusion. One day it's there, the next day it vanishes.
Wings like an eagle. Wealth is volatile, just like wild eagle that sits nearby for a moment and then suddenly flies away. Money can disappear instantly through economic crashes, bad investment, health crisis, or theft. Look at the statistics of lottery winners.
Studies show that vast majority of those who win massive windfalls end up completely bankrupt within 5 to 10 years. Earthly wealth simply will not stay put. Now let's turn the coin over and look at the other side of our pair, poverty. The reality of poverty, so on one side there are riches, on the other side we see poverty.
Now when we consider poverty, there are those who are born into poverty, those circumstances they find themselves in, not out of their own doing, no fault of their own. Scripture treats them with immense tenderness. But we are going to talk about those who are pushed into poverty by the wickedness of others, so there is some wisdom for those who do that in the book of Proverbs. Poverty infused by bad actors, the greed of others.
Proverbs 30, verse 14 gives us a graphic description of those exploiters, the greed of others, keeping money. We see this clearly in our modern financial system. There is something which is known as lending market. Now lending market is nothing, but you can go to a bank and take a loan.
The bank will give you a loan at a certain percentage. Now to get a loan at a certain percentage, you need to have a credit score. Normally the credit score ranges from 300 to 850. Below 579 is considered poor, and above 800 is considered exceptional.
So you might get an interest for one person, on the other side you might get for 7 or 8, whatever. Depending on the credit score, the bank will lend you money at a certain rate for different reasons. There are those who do not have bank accounts or those who do not have financial standings. So when they go to a bank, the bank refuses to give them loans.
So what they do is they are forced to go to a money lender known as subprime lenders or loan sharks. They lend them money at a very high rate of interest. At that rate of interest is so high that if they do not pay the money, the outstanding principal will double in 3 to 4 years. This is the kind of people whose teeth are as swords and knives, devouring the poor for profit.
Proverbs 28, verse 8 warns, He that usury and unjust gain increases his substance. He shall gather it for him that will pity the poor. This is something, this is about threatening somebody or taking bribes. This is poverty infused by bad actors.
Now, poverty acts related by bad decision. Proverbs also warns that we can drive ourselves into poverty through our own choices, our own habits, and lack of discipline. Proverbs 10, verse 4, He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand. Talks about laziness, carelessness, or half-hearted effort.
So, laziness is something that we need to be avoided. Laziness is something that can lead to poverty. You know, hands folded, not willing to do, not willing to go and do something. Next, refusing to heed correction.
Proverbs 13, verse 8, Many times there are warnings. There are people who refuse to take heed to those warnings. This describes someone who is unteachable, refuses to learn from their mistakes. Next, pleasure-seeking, throwing off money and your wealth on pleasure.
Proverbs 21, verse 17 says, See, that love of pleasure shall be a poor man, constantly draining your resources. Then there is drunkenness and gluttony. Proverbs 23, verse 21, Lack of self-control. Then you are wasting time on frivolous things, like spending all your time on video games.
Proverbs 12, verse 11, One who finds his hand will have plenty of bread. One who pursues worthless things lacks sense. So different reasons, which I would say, which infuses poverty, accelerate poverty, which breeds poverty. Poverty is never just one thing.
It can be infused by bad actors, accelerated by bad decisions, or bred by bad mindsets. Understanding these differences is exactly what makes wisdom of Proverbs so practical and deep. Next, stewardship. I guess we'll skip that for the lack of time.
We spoke a little bit at the beginning. Now the second pair I'm going to run through is generosity and greed. Again, it's got to do with money. There are different verses that focus on certain aspects of generosity.
Generosity, giving money, greed, keeping money. Let's establish a profound truth. God is generous, so generous that you have a special word for His generosity, the word grace. You know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Though He was rich for your sake, He became poor. And because we are His children, we are made in His image and redeemed by His blood. We are commanded to look like our Lord. We must be generous.
Proverbs 28, verse 27. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lag. Speaks of giving to the poor. Proverbs 3, verse 9.
Honor the Lord with thy substance and wear the first fruit of all thine inquiries. Speaks of honoring God. Proverbs 11, verse 17. Speaks about the joy of giving.
Proverbs 14, verse 21. The person who has mercy on the poor. Happy is he. Speaks of happiness.
Proverbs 3, verse 10. Speaks of blessing. Then there is Proverbs 11, verse 24 and 25. There is one who scatters.
Oh, one who gives freely. One who gives freely is enriched. His substance will increase. Proverbs 19, verse 7.
He that has pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given will he repay. God gives it back. So we see human logics tells us keeping money makes us rich. However, God's wisdom says exact opposite.
Keeping an open hand. Giving money allows God to bless and multiply our resources. To have this, we must develop the mind of Christ. The one who set his heavenly riches aside to be born in a humble manger with no place to lay his head.
So we see now when generosity only need to give, you only need to be concentrated. But, you know, when you give, you honor the Lord, and that is about generosity. So we saw there is joy in giving, there is happiness in giving, there is blessing in giving. And remember that when you give, you have a sense of satisfaction.
You have the peace that is in your heart. And God is no man's debtor. Now on the other side, the other contrast we see is greed. Keeping money, that dark contrast of greed.
While generosity expands, the soul, greed shrinks it. The book of Proverbs exposes greed as an insatiable trap that manifests in three destructive ways. You know, greed is accumulation. There is advice for those who tend to be greedy.
Proverbs 30, verse 15 and 16 compares greed to a leech. The host leech hath two daughters crying, give, give. You know, when a leech attaches itself to the human body, all it knows is to suck the blood. And that's what greed is all about.
The greedy person is trapped in a cycle of constantly demanding more and more and completely incapable of finding contentment. Now there is a link between greed and laziness. Proverbs 21, 25 to 26, the desire of the slothful killeth him, for his hand refused to labor. So we see laziness feeds greed.
Lazy hand refused to labor, coveting greedily all day long. Then we see Proverbs 23, verse 6, the hypocrisy of a grudging giver. So, eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meat, for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. Eat and drink, saith he to them, but his heart is not with them.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shall vomit up and lose thy sweet words. So the principle is that greedy persons are often hypocritical hosts. They may invite you to their table and politely tell you, eat and drink. But internally, they regret every dime spent on you, accepting their hospitality results in bitter, rigorful experience where you, where your compliment and gratitude are completely wasted.
Then you see the ultimate cost of greed, self-destruction. Proverbs 1, verse 19. Unjusted greed ultimately consumes or destroys the lives of the person who chases it. And not only that, Proverbs 15, verse 27.
A greedy person not only suffers alone, their driving ambition brings chaos and stress and ruins their entire household. So, brothers and sisters in Christ, our life on this earth is temporal. Money and wealth are temporal. They are passing away right before our eyes.
But while wealth is temporary, the internal attitudes of generosity and greed that we exhibit carry massive, eternal weight. The entire book of Proverbs stands as an unmovable monument to this truth. It is far better to be poor and generous than to be rich and greedy. Greed promises a fortress, but it brings absolute ruin to the soul.
True financial wisdom is not about reaching a certain number in a bank account. It's about managing whatever economic condition that you find yourself with the right godly character. How you deal with wealth is one of the most critical tests of your life as a believer. To help us anchor this truth, let us turn to Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 6, 6 to 8.
Just read the first part. But godliness with condemnation is great gain. The word there is profit. Look at that phrase, great gain.
The world thinks great gain means adding more luxury cars or more real estate to your name. But the Holy Spirit says true profit, true wealth, is godly life, godly character paired with a satisfied soul. Contentment flows naturally out of a heart of deep gratitude, whereas covetousness is nothing but greed. True wealth is simply being happy and peace with what God has handed you.
To illustrate this, let me ask you a question, a very familiar verse. I want to visualize that famous passage from Philippians chapter 4, verse 13. I can do all things to Christ who strengthens me. I can do all things to Christ who strengthens me.
As you sit here this morning, I want you to think of something specific in your mind. That you can do through Christ who strengthens you. Something you would never accomplish without Him. Just take a brief moment and think about it.
Now let me ask you a second honest question. How many of you, when thinking of that verse, were thinking about money? Probably a very few. We usually quote that verse before a difficult, when we have a difficult, when we have a tough exam, or a sports game, or when we face a trial in life.
But that entire text is all about money. It's fundamentally a passage about managing your income. If you read the context, Paul is writing to thank the Philippines for a financial gift. He's explaining his relationship with material resources.
He says, I know how to be a beast, and I know how to abound. I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Paul is saying, I have learned how to live on low income. I have learned how to live on high income.
I have learned to be completely content with whatever comes in, whether I have much or whether I have little. Because I can do all things, including managing my budget and staying content in any economy, to Christ who strengthens me. Christ gives us the supernatural power to conquer greed and anxiety. May God help every single one of us to live faithfully within our income.
Let me close this morning with what I believe is the most magnificent, well-balanced financial prayer in the entire Bible. It's found in Proverbs chapter 30, verse 8 and 9, spoken by a man named Edgar. This is how he says, Remove far from me vanity and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches.
Feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full and deny thee and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and still. Take the name of my God in vain. What a beautiful sons of prayer.
Edgar doesn't pray for a mansion or a private jet. He says, Lord, don't give me so much wealth that I might become self-sufficient, arrogant, and ask, Who is the Lord? But don't let me fall into such deep poverty that I become desperate and turn to theft and bring shame upon your holy name. Lord, just give me my daily bread.
Give me what is convenient for me. True wisdom is never about how much money passes through your hands this week. It's entirely about the state of your heart. Whether a person has a little or a lot, true wisdom means maintaining absolute integrity, staying completely teachable, working diligently with your hand, and refusing to let greed or laziness destroy your Christian character.
As we walk out of this door today and return to our daily lives, let us bring this study into an active personal application. I leave you with these searching questions to ponder in the secret place of your heart this week. I will leave the question for you to read. May God help us to be faithful, loyal, and true to the person of Christ and to his blessed word.
Thank you.
