Day Seventeen

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say,
‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Prov. 30:8–9)

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 30:7–9

Heaven won’t be paradise only because of what is present. It will also be paradise because of what is absent. Our future dwelling promises a list of “no mores,” like no more tears, sorrow, or pain. One of my favorite “no mores,” however, isn’t in the book of Revelation. You can count on it anyway because we will have “no more” need of it, praise to our God! In heaven there will be no more money!

Aren’t you tired of struggling with finances? Don’t you sometimes think you’ll have a throw-down fit if you receive another bill? Money. We love it. We hate it. We need it. We crave it. Nothing drives us crazy like money. Yet we can’t get enough of it. When asked how much money is enough, a very wealthy man answered, “A little bit more.” He spoke for all of us, didn’t he? A rare soul admits he has enough.

Of course, having money isn’t the real problem. Money having us is the issue. Our Scriptures for today explain how to “balance” our checkbooks. If you’re like me, you probably could use a little help. Those illegible numbers we wrote on the back of our checkbooks made perfect sense when we scratched them there, didn’t they? Actually, God’s method of balancing our checkbooks isn’t primarily about numbers. It’s about attitude. Two reminders help us stay balanced in matters of money.

God’s definition of the ideal salary is income that falls between the extremes of poverty and riches. If you don’t have to steal to eat, you’re not too poor. If you don’t have a tendency to forget God, you’re not too rich. I dare say most of us fall between the two extremes in Proverbs 30:8–9. You see, God views most of our financial situations as ideal because we aren’t lacking in the necessities of life, yet we are still forced to depend on Him. I’m sure most of us would like to be among those put to the test of faithfulness with great riches, but we might be getting more than we bargained for. Money has a way of ignoring authority. Matthew 6:24 tells us, “You cannot serve both God and money.” King David offered very wise advice when he said, “Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (Ps. 62:10). They are fleeting indeed.

God’s tenure as head of the Department of Treasury:Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Every piece of gold and silver, every precious stone on this planet belongs to the Lord. All we have is His. He distributes it as He sees fit and attaches to it both blessings and testing.

Today’s truths may seem simplistic, but if we adopt a more “balanced” approach to our finances, the noose of economic anxiety around our necks will loosen considerably. God is the Banker. Allow Him to balance your checkbook frequently.