(Prov 11:28 TNIV) Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

This morning we continue our series, Solomon gives us a very timely message this morning. The U.S. economy has taken a turn for the worse and it looks like it will be quite some time before we see a true turn-around. Many have been affected severely. Television shows are full of people testifying of how their lifelong savings have been depleted. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their jobs, their homes, and their credit rating. Some have even lost their hope.

The Good News Bible translation of this verse says: “Those who depend on their wealth will fall like the leaves of autumn, but the righteous will prosper like the leaves of summer.” If I had taught from this verse a few years ago it would have been received differently. When the economy is booming people have a false sense of security from the size of their savings. But when the economy takes a turn like it has, verses like this one seem prophetic. They remind us that there is nothing and no one as stable as God. Jehovah is the only constant in our ever-changing environment.

In the New Testament, when Jesus was teaching the parable of the Sower and the Seed (the seed being the Word of God), He explained how the different types of ground (that’s us) respond to the same Word that is preached. Jesus taught that thorny ground people hear the Word, but “The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19).

Without really getting into the message in the parable, what I want to bring out from what He said is that riches are deceitful. One of the definitions for deceitful includes the word “untrustworthy.” That’s really the message behind Solomon’s teaching. His point is a point made about trust.

Here you have a billionaire telling you not the trust in riches. He does cut any corners either. Solomon plainly says that those that trust in their riches will fall. They will fall like the leaves of the autumn. These are leave that were once green, full, and flourishing, but after a change of season, the leaves dried up, changed colors, and eventually fell. The contrast Solomon gives us the righteous – those who keep their trust solely in God.

So what does this mean? It means that you MUST keep your trust focused in the right direction (UP). God is not opposed to you doing well financially, to you having savings, to making investments, owning homes and land and etc. As a matter of fact, the Bible is full of scripture that supports the opposite. He wants you to prosper. He wants you to BE blessed, so that you can BE a blessing. The warning here is not about storing up wealth, it’s about trusting in it.

If your trust is in your wealth and not Jehovah, then you have put your money ahead of God and your wealth has become your god. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and Money” (Mat 6:24). You can either put your trust in God, honor Him with your finances – by doing what He has instructed us to do with our income – and you will see that He will bless you abundantly as you use money as your servant.

Or you can put your trust in your money and ignore God’s instruction and you will soon find you will not like that scenario. Money makes an excellent servant, but a poor master. In your life Jehovah must be LORD OF ALL or He is not LORD AT ALL!

Father, I declare, right now, by faith, that You are Lord of ALL in my life. My trust is completely in You. I thank You for giving me the wisdom to govern all that You allow to come through my hands. I will honor You with my life and that includes my finances. Lead me Father in every decision and I will use what You bless me with for Your glory. Money is my servant, not my master. You alone sit on the throne of my life and therefore, I believe I will long a strong, stable and secure life in You! In Jesus’ name. Amen!