Proverbs 16: 8-9
Stop.
Hold your wallet, checkbook, bank statement, or even some change in your hand. Take a deep breath. Set aside your anxieties about money – especially having enough of it. Thank God for what you do have. Reflect on the ways the gift of money helps you live your faith.
Listen.
Better is a little with righteousness than large income with injustice. The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps. – Proverbs 16: 8-9
Reflect.
In worship on Sunday, we will hear from the book of Proverbs. Proverbs shares many faith lessons with the reader, ranging from right worship, piety, and obedience to good business and relationship practices. Some might be a little out of date today, but it still helps us reflect on wise, thoughtful ways for a Christian to live and act in the world.
It’s interesting to see how much of Proverbs talks about our relationship with money. Even when it was written thousands of years ago, it’s clear that humans continued to struggle with how to use their resources wisely, effectively, and faithfully. While many passages deal with a perceived foolishness in using money, this passage focuses on using money with righteousness and justice.
I often talk about ensuring that the way we use our money reflects our faith. If someone looked at your credit card or bank statement, would they know what you believe? Does your use of money reflect your values, especially your Christian faith? What does it mean in your life to let “the Lord direct the steps”? And even if your bank statement doesn’t have lots of big numbers in in, how can you still affirm “better is a little with righteousness than large income with injustice”? In other words: how can you reject wealth for its own sake, and instead, live within (or even below) your means as you live righteously?
It's the work of a lifetime to figure out what that means for you. Circumstances change, income rises or falls, needs shift, families adapt. But if you commit to letting your money reflect your faith, you will always have a dynamic expression of your faith at work in your daily life.
Pray.
Thank you, God, for entrusting money to me to use for the good of my neighbor, for the sake of your gospel, and for the care of my life and home. Help me to hear your guidance as I use these resources well. Amen.
Carry On.
Refer back to whatever you held at the beginning of this devotion. How can you use that amount, however big or small, to God’s glory today? Is there something you’ve been meaning to support financially that you can be a part of today, even if it’s just a small gift?