Proverbs 13:11

The book of Proverbs gives us a lot of instruction on a lot of different subjects. One subject that can keep us in God’s wisdom is Godly Follower-ship. Who we follow; where we follow; how we follow are all spoken about in Proverbs. Here is one of them about earning and spending:

Proverbs 13:11 (ESV)

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

What a great proverb for society today.   I am not one for much public display of Bible verses on billboards.  I don't really know if that is something that delights God or pains him.  It just seems to me that God's word is much bigger than a billboard.  But, with that said, if any verse should be on a billboard, this is one.   We have so many people who want to gain fast with little ease of work.  The lottery-game-show-scratch-and-win mentality has taken over and replaced God’s plant-now-reap-later-save-now-spend-later cousin. Actually, that is probably not accurate.   These two mindsets are not even in the same family.   Folly wants to gain fast.  What they fail to release is the phrase actually should be gain-fast-spend-fast.   Quick gains, according to Solomon, suffer quicker loss.   It is hard work at long hours that produce lasting rewards.   I would imagine Solomon must have seen plenty of this in his life.   He would have seen fast gains from the view of the throne.   He would have realised in his own life that things that last don't come quickly.  Here you have a king who asked God for wisdom rather than wealth.   Labor is always paid off by God in a great way.  Leisure income is always a waste.  Just read the stories of the latest lottery winners if you want to see the "today evidence" for Solomon's thousand year-old wisdom.