“Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring” (Proverbs 11:28, NLT).
Anyone who lived through the Great Depression can tell you how quickly money can disappear. Many who’ve more recently invested in the stock market and other such financial ventures can also vouch for how fast cash can vanish. Today plenty of people have seen jobs paying good incomes suddenly dry up or cut back hours. You can’t put your “trust in your money.”
Rick made a pretty fair living doing computer programming for a major business. After dropping a few names and resumes, he landed a far more lucrative job at an even larger corporation. Rick, who was already pretty spend-crazy, immediately cranked up his spending to “match” his new income. A new vehicle, a bunch of new electronic gadgets and an expensive vacation were just a few of his first expenditures.
Less than a year later, Rick got the news that the company had “over-hired” – there were too many employees and not enough money to justify keeping everyone in his department. Being low man on the totem pole, Rick was out of a job with thirty days’ severance pay, a pile of new debts and very little savings.
The fact that you’re making more money is a very foolish reason to spend more money. If you’ve been able to make some extra income or if you’ve been blessed with an increase in salary, sock it away! At least accrue enough to keep yourself out of hot water for six months should anything happen to your income. Apply some of those extra funds as additional payment amounts to any debts you owe so that these can be paid off more quickly.
“The godly flourish like leaves in spring.” When you put your trust in the Lord, hard times won’t defeat you. When you trust in the Lord, you study His Word, gather wisdom from it and apply it to your financial life as well as all other aspects of your daily living. Be Book-smart during these not-so-stable financial days – His Book is the best guide to learn from.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5, NIV).
“Property may be destroyed and money may lose its purchasing power; but character, health, knowledge and good judgment will always be in demand under all conditions.” (Roger Babson)
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