6/11 Strength for Today

Money Robbers

Proverbs 21:17
“He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.”

Today's society seems to be one that avoids work at all cost. From the beginning of creation, God made man to work. God set the example of how much man should work when He took six days to create this world and rested on the seventh. Then in Exodus 20:9, God established how long the work week should be. The reason for this is because God knew that work, and not play, is what will cause people to prosper in life.

The average person today is looking for the easy way to get rich without working for it. The bad news for that person is the only honest way to make money is to work. The benefits of work are many, but one of those benefits is that you will be able to enjoy some of the pleasures in life.

In the verse above we find God warns us about a danger that that will cause any person to become poor. God said that those who love pleasure, wine and oil will become poor. In other words, those who love to play, have expensive lifestyles and purchase luxuries are people who will eventually have nothing left in life.

God makes it clear that a person who loves these things will never be rich. The reason God said they will never be rich is because a person who loves these things and doesn’t love work will spend their time and money on these things instead of spending their time working. Working is where you make money. If you spend your time playing and not working, you will find yourself not having any money. Those who love expensive and lavish lifestyles will find themselves without money. Likewise, those who always have to have every luxury in life will eventually have no money left, for luxuries will continue to come our way.

So, what is the answer? The answer is to work hard and be content with what you have. I have been around those who have made millions of dollars in their lifetime and the one common denominator between them all is that they all work hard and don't spend a lot of money on the luxuries of life. In fact, I have found many of those who have money are the ones who pinch their pennies.

If you have a problem with never having enough money, then look at your work habit, lifestyle and spending habits. If you don't have enough money to take care of life’s necessities, in most cases it is caused by your behavior in one of these three areas.

As a Christian, be a person who loves to work more than you love to play. Watch that you don't live a lifestyle that constantly spends money. Last of all; be careful about always “needing” the latest luxury. Each of these areas will rob your money. You can probably make it by with what you have. If you will watch these three areas, you will find that you can enjoy life with what you have and that you will probably have the money to do what you need to do.