Wealth & Wisdom
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There are people who are really wealthy, but not wise. There are people who are wise, but poor. Then there are those who are wise and wealthy and that’s the person I want to pay closer attention too. I think wealth and wisdom are often connected. People who are wise and wealthy are often self-educated. I’ve met people who graduated with degrees from a prestigious school who were not wise at all. Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge. The reason that I think these two are connected is because wise people are creative and innovative about how to earn more in order to do more with their life.
As I was reading of the wealth and wisdom of King Solomon, I couldn’t help but remember that his wealth and wisdom could be traced to one simple prayer for wisdom. The Lord told Solomon that He would give him anything he wished, and Solomon prayed for wisdom. The Lord answered his prayer with wisdom. He footnoted His answer to Solomon. Since Solomon didn’t ask for wealth and fame, He would give Him that too. Check this out….
22 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 23 Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.24 Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
27 The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah. (2 Chronicles 9:22-24, 27 NLT)
I want to continue to pray for wisdom from the Lord. I want to continue to pray for the blessing of wealth and the wisdom to manage it well. I really want to pray for influence and insight that is from the Lord. I don’t want to “be all that and a bag of chips” just to be looked up too. I want to influence others on behalf of the Lord. I want my life to influence others to take a closer look at walking with the Lord. It is not a miserable, rule-following religion. My relationship with God should be a vibrant, deep and healthy journey with deep conversation and voluntary accountability. I also believe that great wealth is not always measured in money. I want to be a devoted follower of Jesus who is also wealthy and wise.
Pressing On!
Dwayne