Proverbial Teachings: Chapter 16 Building Wealth The Right Way
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| The peaks of a faraway island now coming into view. In between the two man-made islands, what was unclear now becomes true. Wealth and poverty are represented here... can you tell who is who? |
Upon further reflection, I had participated in a collective ill-gotten gain... and I had to retire from such actions.
I call it 'ill-gotten' because the knowledge that grants opportunities for those who pursue them are at the loss of the undisciplined, unlearned, and uninformed.
Myself being previously uninformed and subject to my ignorance and lack of financial discipline (and thus the greater mechanisms of the economy) motivated me to learn how to not be subject any longer.
In that learning, in that peering beyond the veil, I had to face my personal greed and justifications measured to the actions of my new peer group.
I learned first-hand how the warnings and teachings in Scripture came life and were made 'real' to me.
I was not ready to navigate the challenges that came with this tiny taste of wealth.
I learned the hard way and had help from my dear wife, whose heart is more noble than my own in this regard, how to better handle the sharp edge of handling wealth and loving others when properly using earthly wealth.
Not everyone who is wealthy (whether born into wealth or achieving it on their own merits) is subject to harming their fellow man, or susceptible to becoming less than honorable.
Wealth is not an evil on its own.
What becomes evil is how a human being's character can be overrun when earthly wealth is realized, or honored, or placed high atop a ladder of priorities.
A false sense of security, nobility, prestige, and other notions popularly perceived and promoted as 'valuable' is argued as some of the promises that wealth brings.
These types of undermining notions is what can be classified as evil.
Is evil too strong of a word?
Let us read some of the proverbial teachings that grant clarity towards a proper answer:
Better a little with righteousness
than much gain with injustice.
Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
all the weights in the bag are of His making.
How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight rather than silver!
Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud.
- Proverbs 16: 8, 11, 16
If one has lived long enough, they have likely heard stories or reports in the news of people whose ambitions have led them to commit crimes.
We can reflect a blindness that compels a person to lie, steal, and trick others for personal gain.
Some crimes against others cause financial harm and ruin for the victim, while other crimes lead to the spilling of blood.
What is quite troubling is how, in my opinion, certain laws seem to benefit those who pursue wealth and honor wealth more than humanity.
Laws are based on both past and current cultural attitudes.
Have you noticed how a wealthy person is sometimes perceived to be more 'valuable' or important than a poor person?
Yet both have been made in the image of God.
Wealth's default position is not one of evil, for I have met many honorable wealthy individuals.
These individuals had great wealth in both an economic sense and also in character.
It has been my experience that not every individual is capable of handling one without the presence of the other.
There is a teaching that speaks directly to those who have been brought into a relationship with God, who have come to know God in Christ, and who have been taught to reflect on the further teachings of righteousness.
I share specific verses from their broadest context to show how every single person on earth is subject to another.
However, one is called to respect authority and the order of life while at the same time considering their fellow brothers and sisters when it comes to wealth, government's order, and social dynamics:
This economic reality is not defined as evil.
Notice how responsibility over others isn't extinguished but elaborated (and echoed from the proverbial verses).
Consider for a moment synonymous terms in the current vernacular: masters as employers, slaves as employees.
Further: masters as politicians, slaves as citizens.
Again, this teaching speaks directly to those carrying the crown of thorns as Church leaders... and if anyone considers themselves participants in the ministry of Christ, they too are called to be content with the bare necessities in life... wealth being used in service.
What should be searched out is how this teaching, speaking firstly to the Church, has been found in current laws of government... even secular government; showing Christ truly having dominion and influence on the earth from eternity as King.
Notice when it speaks of controversies and how such arise from conceit and lack of understanding of God's order.
It was only in the Garden of Eden that God provided a lush forest / garden / food bank prior to humanity's creation, where the only 'labor' / 'work' for the first humans was to reach out and eat.
Part of the thorns and trouble from deriving a livelihood outside of the Garden includes the challenges of being disciplined with the knowledge of what is right and wrong.
What is right from what is wrong is continuously elaborated in the Word of God, and all that is right is declared wholly in Yeshua Christ.
What secular government, and people who may currently rebuff the Example of Christ as their identity stronghold, can readily agree with is this: love does no harm to one's neighbor.
Both wealthy and poor neighbors are capable of loving one another when Christ is their center.
Both are quite capable of being equitable peers when it comes to the wealth found in the character built upon the Word of God.
Where the Word is absent, and the Spirit not guiding, there is found the detriments warned of in the Word.
May our vessels be carriers of the Word and purveyors of His Spirit.
We can reflect a blindness that compels a person to lie, steal, and trick others for personal gain.
Some crimes against others cause financial harm and ruin for the victim, while other crimes lead to the spilling of blood.
What is quite troubling is how, in my opinion, certain laws seem to benefit those who pursue wealth and honor wealth more than humanity.
Laws are based on both past and current cultural attitudes.
Have you noticed how a wealthy person is sometimes perceived to be more 'valuable' or important than a poor person?
Yet both have been made in the image of God.
Wealth's default position is not one of evil, for I have met many honorable wealthy individuals.
These individuals had great wealth in both an economic sense and also in character.
It has been my experience that not every individual is capable of handling one without the presence of the other.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
- Matthew 6: 24What the heart loves is what defines a person's character and sets their life on a particular course.
There is a teaching that speaks directly to those who have been brought into a relationship with God, who have come to know God in Christ, and who have been taught to reflect on the further teachings of righteousness.
I share specific verses from their broadest context to show how every single person on earth is subject to another.
However, one is called to respect authority and the order of life while at the same time considering their fellow brothers and sisters when it comes to wealth, government's order, and social dynamics:
All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s Name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.
These are the things you are to teach and insist on. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Yeshua Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
- 1 Timothy 6: 1-12Reflect on how slavery in this context is speaking of an economic reality that has continued to exist into the era of Christ (as it did before and since one man held economic leverage over another).
This economic reality is not defined as evil.
Notice how responsibility over others isn't extinguished but elaborated (and echoed from the proverbial verses).
Consider for a moment synonymous terms in the current vernacular: masters as employers, slaves as employees.
Further: masters as politicians, slaves as citizens.
Again, this teaching speaks directly to those carrying the crown of thorns as Church leaders... and if anyone considers themselves participants in the ministry of Christ, they too are called to be content with the bare necessities in life... wealth being used in service.
What should be searched out is how this teaching, speaking firstly to the Church, has been found in current laws of government... even secular government; showing Christ truly having dominion and influence on the earth from eternity as King.
Notice when it speaks of controversies and how such arise from conceit and lack of understanding of God's order.
It was only in the Garden of Eden that God provided a lush forest / garden / food bank prior to humanity's creation, where the only 'labor' / 'work' for the first humans was to reach out and eat.
Part of the thorns and trouble from deriving a livelihood outside of the Garden includes the challenges of being disciplined with the knowledge of what is right and wrong.
What is right from what is wrong is continuously elaborated in the Word of God, and all that is right is declared wholly in Yeshua Christ.
What secular government, and people who may currently rebuff the Example of Christ as their identity stronghold, can readily agree with is this: love does no harm to one's neighbor.
Both wealthy and poor neighbors are capable of loving one another when Christ is their center.
Both are quite capable of being equitable peers when it comes to the wealth found in the character built upon the Word of God.
Where the Word is absent, and the Spirit not guiding, there is found the detriments warned of in the Word.
May our vessels be carriers of the Word and purveyors of His Spirit.
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