Prize Wisdom

Proverbs 21:²⁰ “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (TLB)

The argument is usually I earn so little. The Bible does not say you are a foolish person if you only spend everything you earn when it is a lot. The Bible says you are a foolish person if you spend everything you earn whether it is little or a lot. If you earn one kobo and you spend everything, you are a foolish person. If you earn ten thousand a month and you spend everything, you are a foolish person. If you earn ten million a month and you spend everything, you are a foolish person. You are probably thinking that if you earn ten million a month, there is no way you will spend everything, right? Listen and listen carefully, if you can spend everything earning ten thousand a month, you will spend everything earning ten million a month. And it is because your appetite is your appetite, a bad habit is a bad habit.

Not having the correct habit is not having a correct habit. If you have no savings, no investment, you are just living and trusting, and living by faith. Something is wrong with that regardless of how much you earn. When I have conversations with people about finances, the first thing I ask is, how much do you have? Your wife just gave birth to twins, and you need to pay the hospital bill. How much do you have? You cannot say you do not have anything. Excuse me, pregnancy is not an accident. It takes nine months, meaning you have nine months to plan. If you are a wise man, you may not have everything, but you will have something. And that is what the Word of God says, the wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets. Whatever means whatever, no matter how large or how small.

God’s wisdom for finances does not just include savings and investment. God’s wisdom for finances also includes giving. Spending without saving is foolishness like we have established but saving without giving is also foolishness. Spending without saving and saving without giving are both bad financial plans. Luke 6:³⁸ “Give, and you will receive… The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” (NCV). Amazing! Therefore, I can determine how God gives to me by how I give to others. Boom! What does that mean? How I give to others determines how God gives to me, the measure. So, if I give sacrificially to others, if I give sacrificially to God’s work, guess what? I am determining how much God gives to me.

The Western system is actually very unwise because they let people eat their future. A lot of people are eating what you have not earned. It is called buy now, pay later. So, you get to take the television, the furniture, the electrical appliances home. Your house is filled with things you have not earned, things you have not worked for. Guess what? You cannot have leverage, margin because the borrower is a servant to the lender. It is a bad habit, bad financial thinking.

Prayer: Father, by Your Holy Spirit, help me imbibe and practice this financial wisdom You are pouring into me – to save, to invest, and to give, in Jesus Name. Amen!