WEALTH AND WISDOM

Pastor Joe Poblete

Victory Tuguegarao

I. INTRODUCTION
Good day everyone! I bring to you greetings from our Church here at Victory
Tuguegarao, a member of our Every Nation family located at the northeastern most part
of the Philippines.

Today, I will share with you what the Bible says about Wealth and Wisdom. The Bible is
the final authority in our life being the Word of God. It is filled with the knowledge and
wisdom of God. Specifically, for us to have a practical knowledge on how to live our life
with wisdom, God included in our Bible a book of wisdom called The Book of Proverbs;

The world is full of proverbs. Examples are: Cleanliness is next to Godliness; Honesty is
the Best Policy, and others which you approve there as a people in Timor Leste.
Proverbs are observations in life that had been proven by many to be true. However,
some could still find fault in them. That is why, out the 3000 proverbs collected by King
Solomon as mentioned in 1Kings 4:32, only 915 are listed in the Book of Proverbs.

Since we will be looking into Wisdom about Wealth (money) today, let us look into one
of them, found in Proverbs 13:11:

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

This proverb speaks of wisdom on money by comparing the wrong and correct way to
make money and keep it. The first one mentioned is what criminals do to make money.
To make money hastily, the innocents could do it through gambling, buying lottery
tickets, or joining get-rich-quick scheme like pseudo businesses or investments.
To the barbaric it could mean robbing a person or a bank, stealing, but the professionals
could do it through drug trafficking, corrupting government funds and the like.
However, you might have heard news about people who made it big overnight by
winning a lottery, making a lot of money through illegal means but would later end up in
prison, mental hospital, or have a broken family, or died as a pauper.

I don’t need to elaborate more on this because Netflix, YouTube and your favorite movie
websites are full of stories on them.
But today, I would like to exhort you on the other side of the comparison. This is on the
area where we are told to gather money slowly yet enduring, increasing and lasting.
II. BODY

There are three (3) stages of wealth accumulation that are noticeable in this proverb.
Let us study them together. First one is ...

1. WORK
- It says in our Bible verse that “whoever gathers” which means that we have to do
something to be able to make money. Gathering is work. If you work for
someone, you earn money as an employee. Likewise, if you are and entrepreneur
or self-employed, you have to work for you to be able to make money.
- Work is a blessing from God.
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.”
This verse doesn’t only speak about procreation. Becoming fruitful could also
mean producing results of what we have in our hearts and in our minds.
- When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden, he commanded him, as we can read
in Genesis 2:15 ... “to work it and keep it.”
- Now, your valid question would be, “How can I earn or make money with the
things that I do?” God said in Deuteronomy 8:18 But remember the LORD your
God for it is he who gave you the power to get wealth...

Take note of this: Bill Gates and Paul Allen, founders of Microsoft were not paid
when they were solving scheduling problems in their school using their
programming skills.

What are you passionate to do that you are willing to work on it without being
paid? As you do that, my prayer is for you to receive wisdom from God to be able
to produce wealth with that skill that you will develop.

2. WORK DILIGENTLY
- The second phrase from our Bible verse says “little by little” which means a slow
and unnoticeable process. This is applicable to the money skills on saving.
- Saving money little by little will eventually result to a lot of money.
- Investopedia defined Savings as the amount of money left over after spending
and other obligations are deducted from earnings. Do you have savings? Most
people have the having of paying their favorite stores and shops before paying
themselves.

- Many years ago, I read a small book entitled Richest Man in Babylon by George
Samuel Clason. He was the one who coined the phrase “Pay Yourself First.”
 - That phrase was his definition on saving. He argued that savings is a reward we
give to ourselves for working hard. When was the last time you really rewarded
yourself? Not with new clothes, shoes, bags or any fashionable things that you’ll
finally dump it in your closet. But with that part of your income that will buy you a
more comfortable life in the future. This is a good idea isn’t it?

- But the LORD Jesus has a better to say about that as we can read in Luke 6:38
“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together,
running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be
measured back to you.”

- So, a better process would be – Give, Save and Spend.

- God is a great encourager. He even used a tiny and a common creature for us to
learn from on this topic which we can read in Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, O
sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in
harvest.”

- If an ant knows how to save, must more should we be! But just a reality check –
Do you have Savings? If your answer is NO, go back to that Proverbs again and
study it by heart.

3. WORK SMARTLY
- The last phrase says “will increase it” means that the little savings done in a long
run will eventually produce a continuous flow of money. This is what Investment
could do. Savings is not meant to be spent but to be invested. Money is an
inanimate object but has the ability to reproduce. This is the Power of Compound
Interest.
- To work smartly means that you will not do all the working and in reality, there
will come a time when you can’t work anymore but your money can continue
work for you and for your generation to come.
- Now your next question would be, “Where will I put my hard earned savings so it
could generate continuously flow of money?”
- Bank as its name implies is where you could keep your money temporarily but
could not generate enough interest to beat inflation. Use banks to facilitate your
investment process. You could make the most of your savings by investing it in a
secure investment vehicle like business, stocks or real estate. You can have a
multiple of them.
- For as we read in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you
will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know
not what disaster may happen on earth.
 - Just a word of caution: there are a lot of investment scam; don’t be fooled by
them. You can learn from books and videos for more information on this topic. It
may be hard for you to understand in the beginning, but as you continue doing it,
you’ll will find out later that it would just be easy and enjoyable. I recommend
you watch the YouTube videos of Dave Ramsey, a Christian author and financial
advisor.

III. CONCLUSION

As I end, I would like to remind you again that it is God who gives us the wisdom to –
EARN, SAVE & INVEST so that nothing will hinder us to serve HIM all the more.

- The Parable of the Talents is another interesting story in the New Testament
taught by the Lord Jesus where he taught about hard work and stewardship. I
encourage you to read and study that later and I give that as your assignment.

That is found in - Matthew 25:14-30

29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.
But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

It is God’s will for you to live in abundance so you can be a blessing to others.
Apply the wisdom of God in the way you handle money and He will use you to
bring more people in your country. Let us pray...

Heavenly Father, you said in your Word at the Book of James that whosoever lacks
wisdom should ask from you who generously gives. Right now, I am asking you to
shower my brothers and sisters with the same wisdom you have given to King
Solomon and eventually give them wealth and power too. I ask this request so
that people around them will be convinced that they are serving the God who is
the owner of all things. Give them the ability to produce wealth. Bless them too
with wisdom on how to save and invest their earnings so that through the
resources that they will have, serving you and your church in Timor Leste would be
enjoyable to them. In Jesus name. Amen.