Maintaining Integrity

(Prov 16:8 NIrV) It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income, dishonestly gained.

Here Solomon goes back to a comfort zone for him: money management. Remember, Solomon was the richest man of his time and he ran a nation with an overwhelming surplus. Solomon was not against you having money and neither is God. The warning here is against money have you.

At the end of the day this boils down to values. The bottom-line question is: do you value your relationship with God more than you value money? Money makes and excellent servant, but a very poor master. If you violate God’s standards of conduct for the pursuit of money, then you have made your choice and it will cost you. Is money really worth it if it costs you your relationship with God? In the New Testament Jesus asked the question: “What good is it if someone gains the whole world but loses his soul? Or what can anyone trade for his soul?”

Is money really worth your integrity? Or your good name? I am sure you are saying to yourself, “Not it isn’t,” but make no mistake, there are countless people in this world that have compromised their relationship with God in their pursuit of riches.

One of the major problems with the strategy of pursuing money above God is that the pursuit can be both illusive and deceitful. For the majority it is illusive and they never attain it. They are left at the bottom of the barrel – without God or money.

Don’t allow the enemy to take you down this road. And then for those that do attain the riches, for most it becomes deceitful. In Jesus’ parable of all parables – the parable of the Sower and the Seed – He explained how “The cares of this world… the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things” (Mark 4:19) can choke the Word right out of the heart of those that hear it, making it unfruitful. So let’s think about what He said.

The cares of this world (money management being a big one), the deceitfulness of riches (I will elaborate on this in a minute), and the lusts (illicit desires for) other things, can literally choke the Word that is sown in the hearts of people. If you allow the Word to be choked right out of your heart, then the Word that you heard will not profit you at all. Without the Word you can’t grow and without growth/development you cannot be pleasing to God. Make no mistake, satan does all that he can to get us to focus on everything but God; and the allure of money is his most successful tactics.

But let me get back to the word “deceitfulness.” Why did Jesus call riches deceitful? I believe it is because many compromise to so much to get it, only to find out that it was not what they expected. There are countless testimonies of people that said, “If only I had money I would be happy,” only to get the money and still be miserable.

This all takes us back to Solomon’s words for us this morning. It is clear now why he said, “It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income, dishonestly gained.” Anything you have to violate God’s law to achieve is NOT worth it.

So what does this mean to you? It means that you should never exchange your Godly integrity for anything. Don’t be deceived by the enemy and the allure of his temptations.

Maintain your Godly integrity, work hard, give, save, and spend (in that order), and you will have both God and financial stability.

Father, I thank You for helping me to resist every temptation and every tactic of the enemy. I will not be fooled into taking anything over You. I put You, Your Word, and Your ways above everything else in my life. I maintain my Godly integrity and character. As I do, I know that the work of my hands will be blessed. I am on Your desired path for my life and I will not be derailed or distracted as I pursue the manifestation of Your glory – in, with, and through me! Money is my servant, You are my Master! In Jesus’ name. Amen!