Taken from Proverbs 23

Since he was the richest man in the world, no one was more familiar with the value of material things than King Solomon. But in Proverbs 23 he cautions against making possessions a priority in our lives. “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” (23:5).

Solomon’s concern was not just about the temptations of having wealth but also about the danger of craving possessions. Why be consumed with that which is completely unreliable? You can be rich today and broke tomorrow. (Read the book of Job.) You can be one of the wealthiest men in the world and die a lonely death. (Read the biography of Howard Hughes.) You can be a billionaire and not know God. (Listen to the irreverent comments of Ted Turner.) You can have more then you know what to do with and go to hell. (Check out the story of the rich farmer in Luke 12.)

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali summed it up well when he said, “I had it all—and it was nothin!” Riches are unworthy of our ultimate trust and are often a barrier to authentic relationships. “Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. ‘Eat and drink,’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” (23:6-7).

His heart is not with you because his possessions matter more than people. He may go through the motions and pretend to be involved in the conversation but in the back of his mind he’s thinking, “How much is this meal costing me? How much are they going to eat and drink?” Your presence poses a threat to that which is most precious to him.

“You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments” (23:8). In the end you don’t feel good about the time spent with him and you sense the encouragement you tried to give him was not appreciated…the stingy man suspected you were just trying to butter him up so you could get something more out of him.

What’s the appropriate response toward possessions? Solomon’s counsel was not to take a vow of poverty but to:

(1) Stay balanced. “Do not wear yourself out to get rich” (23:4). Don’t neglect God, family, church, and health in an all-consuming passion for more things. Be ambitious enough to work when it’s time to work but take time off when it’s time to rest. Enjoy living. Remember the purpose of money is to enhance relationships and advance God’s Kingdom; it is not an end in itself.

(2) Be disciplined. “Have the wisdom to show restraint” (verse 4). Don’t buy the luxuries you wish you had until you can afford them. It’s as simple as that. Live within your means and you’ll feel better than if you were pressured with debt.

(3) Avoid jealousy. “Do not crave his delicacies” (verse 6). Rejoice that you don’t have to live with the pressure the rich do. Would you really want to pay their insurance premiums? Confront their employees? Deal with their interruptions? Live with their worries and temptations?

The Apostle Paul summed it up when he wrote, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:9-11).

A friend’s wife recently took an in-depth course on Christian stewardship. When she finished he asked what she’d learned. She said, “Stewardship can be summed up in four phrases: Debt’s bad. Saving’s good. Giving’s fun. Stuff is meaningless.” Well said.