Pursue Wisdom, not Money!
BY Paulette Fraticelli
(Prov 8:10,11 NLT) Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.
In our last message we learned how God's wisdom will keep us from deception and corruption. The enemy is a deceiver. Everything he does is deceptive. However, when we receive and apply God's wisdom we are better equipped to avoid the pitfalls of life.
This is a good backdrop upon which to say what Solomon says in this passage. I would venture to say that the #1 way the enemy deceives people is with the allusive pursuit of money. Paul said, "Love for money causes all kinds of evil" (1st Tim 6:10). Having money is not the problem. Solomon was the richest man in the world. His wealth would easily dwarf that of Bill Gates. The issue is not having money; the issue is money having you. Those who pursue money as their main focus in life wind up either getting it, but not having anything else, or not getting it and never being satisfied along the way. Solomon was fully qualified to talk about both money and wisdom. He was just a teenager when he took over the throne from his father David. He was concerned about assuming such a great responsibility, so the Lord spoke to him through a dream. In the dream God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." This was Solomon's golden opportunity. He was young, in charge and somewhat afraid.
God told him what he wanted to hear, "Ask for whatever you want!" Now, you know that most of us would have started rattling off a list of selfish desires, but young Solomon was different. He said, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David... you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong."
Wow. Solomon had maturity beyond his years. He did not ask for fame or fortune, he asked for wisdom and understanding; for help in carrying out the duties of the office that he had been charged with. He knew that he was in authority, but also knew that he was under authority. He submitted to God so that those that he led would submit to him.
How do you think God reacted to this? He said, "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both riches and honor-so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings" (see 1 Kings 3). Not only did God give Solomon wisdom, but He also gave him riches, honor, and an unequalled name. Why? Because he chose wisdom above money. If you have wisdom, you can always get money, but the opposite is not always true. So what does this mean? It means that your heart and your head need to be right towards money. Money is an amplifier. If I give an alcoholic a million dollars, he will drink more. If I give a drug addict a million dollars, he will take more drugs. For God to give money to a fool does no good, but if He can get the fool to renew his mind, to receive/apply His wisdom, to have a pure heart and a clear head, then He can trust them with money. There is nothing wrong with having money, but it should not be your #1 pursuit. Pursue God, don't pursue things, and before you know it, things will be pursuing you (see Mat 6:33). Father, I choose the pursuit of Your wisdom over the pursuit of silver and gold. Your wisdom is more valuable to me than rubies. I declare, by faith, that my mind is renewed concerning money. I seek first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness and I develop a burning desire to do the things You desire for me to do in the earth. I receive Your vision for my life and it is because of Your vision that I can fully expect the provision to come. Everything I need to accomplish Your will for my life will freely come into my hands and I declare that I will use it for Your glory! In Jesus' name. Amen.
(Prov 8:10,11 NLT) Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.
In our last message we learned how God's wisdom will keep us from deception and corruption. The enemy is a deceiver. Everything he does is deceptive. However, when we receive and apply God's wisdom we are better equipped to avoid the pitfalls of life.
This is a good backdrop upon which to say what Solomon says in this passage. I would venture to say that the #1 way the enemy deceives people is with the allusive pursuit of money. Paul said, "Love for money causes all kinds of evil" (1st Tim 6:10). Having money is not the problem. Solomon was the richest man in the world. His wealth would easily dwarf that of Bill Gates. The issue is not having money; the issue is money having you. Those who pursue money as their main focus in life wind up either getting it, but not having anything else, or not getting it and never being satisfied along the way. Solomon was fully qualified to talk about both money and wisdom. He was just a teenager when he took over the throne from his father David. He was concerned about assuming such a great responsibility, so the Lord spoke to him through a dream. In the dream God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." This was Solomon's golden opportunity. He was young, in charge and somewhat afraid.
God told him what he wanted to hear, "Ask for whatever you want!" Now, you know that most of us would have started rattling off a list of selfish desires, but young Solomon was different. He said, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David... you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong."
Wow. Solomon had maturity beyond his years. He did not ask for fame or fortune, he asked for wisdom and understanding; for help in carrying out the duties of the office that he had been charged with. He knew that he was in authority, but also knew that he was under authority. He submitted to God so that those that he led would submit to him.
How do you think God reacted to this? He said, "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both riches and honor-so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings" (see 1 Kings 3). Not only did God give Solomon wisdom, but He also gave him riches, honor, and an unequalled name. Why? Because he chose wisdom above money. If you have wisdom, you can always get money, but the opposite is not always true. So what does this mean? It means that your heart and your head need to be right towards money. Money is an amplifier. If I give an alcoholic a million dollars, he will drink more. If I give a drug addict a million dollars, he will take more drugs. For God to give money to a fool does no good, but if He can get the fool to renew his mind, to receive/apply His wisdom, to have a pure heart and a clear head, then He can trust them with money. There is nothing wrong with having money, but it should not be your #1 pursuit. Pursue God, don't pursue things, and before you know it, things will be pursuing you (see Mat 6:33). Father, I choose the pursuit of Your wisdom over the pursuit of silver and gold. Your wisdom is more valuable to me than rubies. I declare, by faith, that my mind is renewed concerning money. I seek first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness and I develop a burning desire to do the things You desire for me to do in the earth. I receive Your vision for my life and it is because of Your vision that I can fully expect the provision to come. Everything I need to accomplish Your will for my life will freely come into my hands and I declare that I will use it for Your glory! In Jesus' name. Amen.
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