Sunday, November 6, 2016

What Does The Bible Say Is The Best Way To Increase Wealth? Proverbs 13:11

Get rich quick or get rich slow- which is better according to the Bible?

"Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow." Proverbs 13:11.

DISHONEST MONEY

You might say to yourself that this refers to someone who robs a bank or snatches an old woman's purse, but it is broader than that. It is not just the "get rich quick" schemes or fraud but any lack of integrity and transparency in money dealings. It might be the extra service charge that is unnecessary, or the extra little percentage is written into a bid.

DWINDLES AWAY

To dwindle is a slow diminishing, like a leak that causes the bucket to slowly drain dry so that you do not see it happening, but when it is too late, you have an empty bucket sitting in a muddy puddle. You will not notice the loss, but you wake up one day, and it is all gone.

GATHERS

This is like the farm laborer who goes out into the field and diligently fills up his basket with the farm produce over and over throughout the day. It is hard work; it is the opposite of the treasure hunter who finds a fortune all at once. The one who gathers does so over and over, one basket-full at a time and day after day.

A person who gathers is not consuming it as he goes. To gather implies he is also storing what he gathers.

LITTLE BY LITTLE

Little by little suggests a planned step-by-step approach. It is not the try this and then to try that, but having an intelligent plan and following it each day.

Little by little requires patience and an attitude that you are in it for the long haul. It means you are willing to postpone the quick results to achieve superior results in the future.

MAKES IT GROW
This phrase has a sense of empathy. Not quite a Biblical promise but a statement you can count on. It is saying that there is a cause and effect relationship between gathering slowly over time and the growth potential of doing so.

Growing is a picture that is like a force of nature. Normal healthy living things will grow; it just happens. Things that grow not only become bigger but also become more useful. Our problem is that we can't easily observe something growing; it happens so slowly that its measure has to be taken over great lengths of time.

Things that grow slowly are generally better, an oak tree takes decades to grow, but a weed grows in days.

This growth results from your patient's hard work and efforts and are realized over time.

Do not become tempted to participate in "get rich quick" activities, and do not get discouraged over small results in savings and earnings today or tomorrow, but keep it up, and over time your money will add up.

I hope this is an encouragement. To find more, use the search box above or choose from the list of favorites in the sidebar.

(c) Adron 11/6/16