Short Term or Long Term Wealth

by Pat Canavan August 15, 2014 Scripture: Proverbs 28:22

Proverbs 28: 22

A stingy man hastens after wealth
and does not know that poverty will come upon him.

A stingy man has a death grip on what he owns and has no desire to share his wealth to help others. We usually think of a man like Ebenezer Scrooge when we hear the word stingy. Ungenerous people are unhappy people. They are so concerned someone else may get their stuff that they take no joy in what they have at all. They are so preoccupied with loss, they enjoy no gain. As soon as they gain an inch financially, they want the next inch (or dollar). They are suspicious of others’ motives toward them and are leary of even the best intentions others may have. They are too interested in amassing even more wealth to the exclusion of others and their needs.

The generous person, on the other hand, is interested in sharing his wealth with anyone in need (Ephesians 4:28). He regards all wealth (including his) as first belonging to the Lord. In this gospel economy, he is nothing more than a mere but faithful steward. What he has is from God, and he is willing to share God’s blessings with others.

Is that your attitude? We can be so taken up with what others have, and this can tend to make us grasp after more. It can also make us jealously hold onto the things we have and not give anything to those in need. We follow a God, who for our sake, gave up the riches of heaven to take on poverty so we can enjoy the full scope of his riches. He made him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

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