There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; and one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches. Proverbs 13:7
Gaining things and wealth is the desire of the majority of people throughout the world. Focus is often on getting more and more. People are willing to work extremely long hours each and every day to get more things or to be able to do more things that their heart desires. There is often extreme envy of the extremely wealthy and those who are poor are looked down upon as though worthless and of no value.
Solomon, the richest many in all history, says that the one who makes himself rich still has nothing, but the person who makes himself poor has great riches.
On the surface, the super wealthy appear to have everything going for them. There is no outward appearance of struggle or suffering since they can have everything and anything they want. They are not content with what they have.
While on the outside everything appears to be great, the super wealthy are often hurting on the inside. They are worried about their wealth, safety, security, gaining more, losing it all, scams and much more. In the end they really don’t have anything of real value.
On the flip side, those who are poor may have great riches. Their focus is not on gaining more and more, but using what they have for God’s glory. They have learned to be content with what they have and trusting God to provide for what they need from day to day.
Real value is found in the inner peace, joy and contentment that physical wealth cannot provide. These allow for true love to manifest itself, which is eternal, making one very rich in what truly matters in life.
God has allowed you to have a certain level of material things in this life. It may be a lot, or it may be very little. As you look around you at others, it may cause discontent and a desire for more. Put the focus of your life on God and doing what He desires for you to do and having what He wants you to have. Learn to be content with God, not the temporary things of this world.
In the end you will have greater riches than the wealthiest person on the earth. You will have eternal life, which wealth cannot buy.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will seek God over wealth; that you will be content with what God blesses you with; that you will know the wealth you have in God; and that God will provide abundantly for all your needs.
Picture by Daniele Colucci on Unsplash
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