Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.” – Proverbs 23:4-5 (NASB)
The precepts of a Christian life can be found clearly in Scripture. All it takes is to pay attention to what is there, to what we read in the Bible, and examine carefully with Scripture what we hear and read elsewhere. It is not rare for a teaching to be found contrary to explicit truth in the Word of God. Today’s passage is one such time or example. There is an overwhelming flood of false teaching we call the ‘prosperity gospel.’ It teaches that wealth is evidence of blessing and is available to any who will ‘claim it.’ It is not wrong or evil to be wealthy and to work hard and be rewarded with bountiful returns. God does provide abundance to his children but when he does, we are to use our abundance to glorify God. So, today we have a Proverb that gives us a specific caution and the reason for the caution. The wearisome pursuit of prosperity wealth style should not even be considered as a goal in life. Why? Because all things rich and poor are temporary. Here today, it’ll be gone tomorrow and we can’t take it with us when we leave this earth.
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Esengo Mingi 