DON PAULSON WEALTH WORLD

BIBILICAL TRUTH ABOUT WEALTH AND WISDOM

One of the ways a wise man can be identified is by the way he handles money. Wisdom is not discerned by the amount of money one possesses, but by one’s attitude toward money, by the way it is acquired, and by the way it is used. This message will explore the attitude of the wise toward wealth. The next will probe the ways in which money should be obtained and used.

The fact that I am beginning to explore the character of the wise with a study on money should not be understood to suggest that I believe money is the most important subject we could study--it is not. In Luke 16:10 Jesus referred to money as a “very little thing.”

There are several reasons, however, why such a little thing as money should be of importance to us. First of all, little as it may be, it is a major problem in most American homes, Christian or non-Christian. We, like our government, have become accustomed to operating on a deficit budget system, living more on credit than on cash.

The result has been the need for one or both spouses to work more than is wise. Christian giving is also apparently declining. When something which is a “little thing” becomes “big” in our lives, it is a problem of priorities. Furthermore, Jesus taught that if we are not faithful in this “little thing” of money, we will not be faithful in those matters of greater import (cf. Luke 16:10).

Let us seek to be wise in the way we use money. Let us seek the wisdom of God in this area as we look once more into the Book of Proverbs.

What is Better Than Wealth?

Some seem to think that nothing is better than riches, but according to Proverbs there are many things more important than money. Let us briefly consider some of these better things.

1. HONESTY AND KINDNESS ARE BETTER THAN PROSPERITY. In Proverbs we are told that it is more important to be truthful than to be rich.

What is desirable in a man is his kindness, And it is better to be a poor man than a liar (Prov. 19:22).

The rich do not necessarily find it essential to speak gently to others. According to Proverbs 18:23 the rich man “answers roughly.” The Ebenezer Scrooges of life do not deal kindly with others, but Proverbs implies that kindness is more important than riches. Very specifically, we are told in 19:22 that it is better to be an honest man than a wealthy one, if one must choose between the two.

2. A GOOD REPUTATION IS BETTER THAN WEALTH.

A good name is to be more desired than great riches, AAFavor is better than silver and gold (22:1).

3. GODLY CHARACTER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MONEY.

It is more important to be righteous than to be rich. A man’s integrity is more important than his affluence.

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool (19:1).

Better is a little with righteousness Than great income with injustice (16:8).

4. A PEACEFUL HOME, FILLED WITH LOVE, IS BETTER THAN A BANK ACCOUNT FILLED WITH MONEY.

Countless homes are sacrificed to the attempt to earn money, often on the pretext of providing for the family. Proverbs instructs us that it is much more important to have a home filled with love and harmony than one that has only money.

Better is a dish of vegetables where love is, Than a fattened ox and hatred with it (15:17).

Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife (17:1).

In negative terms, one who seeks to gain wealth in an unrighteous manner brings destruction to his home.

He who profits illicitly troubles his own house, But Ahe who hates bribes will live (15:27).

5. WISDOM IS BETTER THAN WEALTH.

Perhaps no theme is so frequently repeated in the early chapters of Proverbs.

“Take my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her” (8:10-11).

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold, And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver (16:16).

If so many things are better than wealth, we must admit that money is not nearly as important as some suppose it to be. Further study in Proverbs confirms this; let us next consider what money cannot do.

What Money Cannot Do For Us

“Money isn’t everything,” someone has been quoted as saying “but it’s a long way ahead of whatever is in second place.” Proverbs informs us that not only is money not in first place, it is not even in the running for second place. One reason is that money simply cannot purchase those things in life which are most important.

1. MONEY CANNOT PROVIDE US WITH SECURITY.

There are two primary reasons why money fails to make a man secure. The first is that money simply cannot purchase security, for security cannot be bought. There are those who deceive themselves by thinking that wealth offers them security, but this is only imaginary.

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination (18:11).

The second reason money cannot offer us security is that wealth itself is often only temporary. Not only does our wealth fail to make us secure, our wealth itself is insecure.

Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings, Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens (23:4-5).

I recall hearing about a man who made hundreds of millions of dollars on a single transaction. Only a few months later the newspapers reported his loss of even more than what he had previously made. Someone commented, “He may not have lost his shirt, but it sure did loosen his tie.” Security can never be gained through money.

2. MONEY CANNOT BUY WISDOM.

Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, When he has no sense? (17:16)

3. MONEY CANNOT PROVIDE US WITH LIFE’S MOST PRECIOUS GIFT.

We know that money cannot buy true friends, because bought “friends” will forsake us when our time of need arrives.

All the brothers of a poor man hate him; How much more do his friends go far from him!

What Money Will Do For You

Anyone who has gone from poverty to prosperity can testify that money will produce results. Unfortunately, many of these are not very beneficial. Let us consider some of the effects which wealth may produce in our lives, a further evidence that money is not all it is purported to be.

1. YOU CAN BE ASSURED THAT MONEY WILL ATTRACT “FRIENDS.”

Proverbs teaches us that money adds friends, while poverty removes them.

Wealth adds many friends, But a poor man is separated from his friend (19:4).

Many will entreat the favor of a generous man, And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts (19:6).

When I was a young lad my parents moved to a rustic but delightful home on a lake. That is where I spent most of my growing-up years.

After a number of years of observation, I concluded that while we had many wonderful friends, there was a particular type of “friend” that only visited us in the summer, when the fishing was good, or when the weather was hot--just right for swimming. Wealth adds many of these “friends,” but difficult times will always cause these folks to seek friendship elsewhere.

2. MONEY TENDS TO GIVE THE RICH A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY.

In a passage which we have already noted, we are told that the rich tend to find a false sense of well-being in their wealth.

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination (18:11).

3. MONEY CAN PRODUCE PRIDE, AND APATHY TOWARD SPIRITUAL THINGS.

The reality of life is that the poor man who wonders where his next meal is coming from is more attuned to spiritual things than is the rich, who seemingly has no worry about such things.

The rich man is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding sees through him (28:11).

Agur, the godly man of chapter 30, refused to ask God to make him rich, fearing that it might cause his heart to turn from the Lord. He dared not request to become rich, lest, in his words, I be full and deny Thee and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’” (30:9).

Conclusions

There are a number of principles in the Book of Proverbs which should shape our attitude toward money. Some of these principles are:

1. NEITHER THE POSSESSION OF MONEY NOR THE LACK OF IT ARE PROOF OF ONE’S SPIRITUAL STATE.

The Judaism of Jesus’ day tended toward the error that prosperity was proof of piety. The rich, they supposed, were wealthy because they were more worthy. Spirituality could be quickly determined by looking at a man’s bank account, at the kind of clothes he wore, by the trappings of affluence. The asceticism of other religious groups caused them to conclude just the opposite. They believed that the godly must shun all material possessions, so that poverty became proof of piety.

Both of these views are wrong for several reasons. First, one may be rich for the wrong reasons. Crime, for example, may be the means by which a man prospers. Furthermore, one may be poor for reasons other than sinfulness or slothfulness. Some are poor due to injustice, not a lack of initiative (13:23).

If it is better to be poor than to be a liar (19:22), one may have chosen poverty in order to remain honest and pure in heart. Most importantly, the Bible teaches that we should never judge others on the basis of outward appearances.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Sam. 16:7).

In the Sermon on the Mount our Lord warned of the danger of externalism (of. Matt. 6:1-18), the performance of outward acts in order to appear to be righteous, yet without actually serving God from the heart. We dare not judge the spirituality of others by any standard which considers only outward appearances, rather than the attitude of the heart.

Perhaps this proverb sums it up as well as it can be said:

There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth (13:7).

True riches cannot be measured in terms of money.

2. GOD HAS NOT PROMISED TO MAKE EVERY GODLY CHRISTIAN RICH.

The question which must first be asked is, “Did God promise to financially prosper the Israelites, to whom and for whom Proverbs was written?” Frankly I think the answer is “Yes.” God had promised to bless Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), a commitment reiterated to his offspring, Isaac (26:24), Jacob (35:9-12); and the sons of Jacob (cf. 49:3-27).

In the Book of Deuteronomy prosperity and security are promised all who will live in accordance with the laws which God has laid down in the Mosaic covenant. The blessings of obedience and the consequences of disobedience are summarized in chapter 28. If the people of Israel disregard the law of God, they are warned that they will be driven from the land and taken into captivity (vv. 64-68).In the light of the promises of God to Israel, take note of this passage in Proverbs:

For the upright will live in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the land, And the treacherous will be uprooted from it (2:21-22).

The blessings on the righteous of which the Book of Proverbs speaks are those promised Israel by God, if they would obey His laws. I believe that prosperity was the standard, the ideal, and that the goal for Israel was to have no poor among the people of God. I understand this to be the point of Deuteronomy 15:4-5.

However, there shall be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today.

While prosperity was the ideal, it was never viewed as something which would take place, for in the next verses of the same chapter in Deuteronomy, God instructs the Israelites about their obligation to minister to the poor in their midst.

If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks (Deut. 15:7-8).

The most striking statement, one which our Lord repeats (cf. Matt. 26:11), is that found in Deuteronomy 15:11:”For the poor will never cease to be in your land.” Even in Israel it was never assumed that everyone would be rich.

One of the contributions which dispensationalism has made to the study of the Scriptures is to differentiate between promises made to the Jews and those made to New Testament saints.

If we were to conclude that Proverbs promises that all who are godly will be rich, we should be entirely consistent and say that we will dwell in the land of Israel (Prov. 2:21).I do not find any promise in the New Testament that godliness will be rewarded with great wealth. Even our Lord laid aside His wealth and became poor for our sake (2 Cor. 8:9).

3. PROVERBS NEVER ENCOURAGES US TO DESIRE TO BE WEALTHY, BUT TO MAKE EVERY SACRIFICE TO BE WISE.

Proverbs does not encourage materialism; it forbids it.

Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings, Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens (23:4-5).

A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, And does not know that want will come upon him (28:22).

The greatest treasure in life is wisdom, which begins with the fear of the Lord and is a life-long search for divine insight into life. Just as we are not taught to seek after happiness, but holiness, so we are encouraged to search for wisdom, not wealth. If wealth is to come, it should come like happiness, as a fringe benefit, not a goal itself.

This was the desire of Agur, who realized that both poverty and prosperity had their dangers. The earnest petition which Agur made was that he be righteous, not rich. Let his petition serve as a model for us as well:

Two things I asked of Thee, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, Lest I be full and deny Thee and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God (30:7-9).

Oh that you and I might hunger more for wisdom than wealth, and that we would be willing to discipline our lives to obtain it. May we not make prosperity the priority of our life, and yet may we also not falsely condemn wealth as though it were a sin. The real issue is our attitude toward money.

Many who are poor are more materialistic than the rich because they value wealth too highly. The way we look at wealth, and the way we use it, is what matters to God. In our next lesson we will consider the acquisition and use of money.

One final word is in order here: it is possible that you have not yet come to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. You are a debtor to God and no amount of money will ever be able to repay it. The debt is that of sin.

The Bible teaches us that the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23).There is no way that you will ever be able to repay this debt. In His mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross of Calvary. He bore the penalty of your sins.

He alone can offer you the forgiveness of your sins and the assurance of spending eternity in heaven. The price was beyond measure--the shed blood of the sinless Son of God. You may be freed of your debt and become an heir of God’s riches only by a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. I urge you to confess your sins and to trust in Him for eternal life.

29 I see no contradiction between Proverbs 17:16 and 23:23, which says, “By truth and do not sell it.” In 17:16 the reference is to the fool. He could not acquire wisdom at any price. In 23:23 the wise man is exhorted to seek truth.

Truth cannot be bought, but this is a figure of speech which teaches us that, like the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:46), truth is worth great sacrifice in order to obtain it.

60 LIVE CHANGING QUOTES

1. Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being. –Kevin Kruse

2. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. –Napoleon Hill

3. Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein

4. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the

difference. –Robert Frost

5. I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse. –Florence Nightingale

6. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky

7. I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. –Michael Jordan

8. The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. –Amelia Earhart

9. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth

10. Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. –W. Clement Stone

11. We must balance conspicuous consumption with conscious capitalism. –Kevin Kruse

12. Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. –John Lennon

13. We become what we think about. –Earl Nightingale

14.Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones

you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover. –Mark Twain

15.Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –Charles Swindoll

16. The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. –Alice Walker

17. The mind is everything. What you think you become. –Buddha

18. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb

19. An unexamined life is not worth living. –Socrates

20. Eighty percent of success is showing up. –Woody Allen

21. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs

22. Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. –Vince Lombardi

23. I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. –Stephen Covey

24. Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. –Pablo Picasso

25. You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Christopher Columbus

26. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou

27. Either you run the day, or the day runs you. –Jim Rohn

28. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. –Henry Ford

29. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain

30. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
31. The best revenge is massive success. –Frank Sinatra

32. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily. –Zig Ziglar
33. Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. –Anais Nin

34. If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. –Vincent Van Gogh

35. There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. –Aristotle

36. Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. –Jesus

37. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

38. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau

39. When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me. –Erma Bombeck

40. Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him. –Booker T. Washington

41. Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart. – Ancient Indian Proverb

42. Believe you can and you’re halfway there. –Theodore Roosevelt

43. Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. –George Addair

44. We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. –Plato

45. Teach thy tongue to say, “I do not know,” and thous shalt progress. –Maimonides

46. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. –Arthur Ashe

47. When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. –John Lennon

48. Fall seven times and stand up eight. –Japanese Proverb

49. When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. –Helen Keller

50. Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see. –Confucius

51. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne Frank

52. When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. –Lao Tzu

53. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. –Maya Angelou

54. Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions. –Dalai Lama

55. If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on. –Sheryl Sandberg

56. First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end. –Aristotle

57. If the wind will not serve, take to the oars. –Latin Proverb

58. You can’t fall if you don’t climb. But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground. –Unknown

59. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained. –Marie Curie

60. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. –Les Brown

DON PAULSON WEALTH WORLD

YOU CAN MAKE IT, DONT GIVE UP

Thursday, September 11, 2014

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Friday, August 22, 2014

BIBILICAL TRUTH ABOUT WEALTH AND WISDOM

What Money Will Do For You

Conclusions

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

60 life changing quotes

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