GIVE ME NEITHER POVERTY NOR RICHES

Proverbs 30: 7 – 9

Two things have I required of thee: deny me them not before I die:

Remove far from me vanity and lies:

Give me neither poverty nor riches:

Feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

This was one of my dad’s favorite passages in the bible. It was underlined in red in his bible. I believe it is a passage that every Christian should confess and pray for each day.

We serve a great God and our utmost desire should be to lift His name high and honor Him in whatever we do. There are 2 major scriptures about money I would like to share!

1 Timothy 6: 10

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

 

Ecclesiastes 10: 19

A feast is made for laughter and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

These two verses bring out the conflicting nature of money or riches.

Ecclesiastes 10 says “it answereth all”. That is, it can help you do a lot of things and bring you lots of comforts. But there is a caveat, loving money too much can lead you into evil (1 Timothy 6: 10).

Jesus’s advice to us on the very attractive things in life like money was given in:

Mathew 6: 33 – 34

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

“Morrow” in the passage above is an old version of the word tomorrow. According to the passage, we should “seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness”.

In my opinion, this means, we should strive to study the Lord’s commandments and obey them. We should desire at all times to do what is right and pleasing to God. This involves, first of all, accepting God’s gift of salvation and inviting Jesus to live in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

When we do all these things, then we do not need to worry about accumulating wealth (money), worrying about what we shall eat or wear. God will ensure that all the things we need will be provided.

There is no need to work long hours, and allow our career to keep us from going to church and serving in the house of the Lord.

 

Philippians 4: 6 – 7 says,

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Do not fret or worry about tomorrow, submit your requests to God through prayer as Philippians 4: 6 – 7 says. God will make away.

 

The way forward for the youth

The youth of today are interested in getting rich quickly. When they see people riding inexpensive cars, living in mansions, and wearing expensive clothes. They forget that these people are older and have been working for several years to acquire wealth.

In Ghana and some Africa countries, the youth turn to “Juju” or “Sakawa” the devil’s way of making you rich quickly. You may get the wealth you are looking for, but there would be a price to pay.  You might have to make a human sacrifice or sacrifice something important in life. Some of the young men and women who use these methods die young tragically.

The Bible says in Proverbs 10: 22 that

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

Everybody wants to enjoy life and live in comfort but we should be careful what we do.

God wants the best for you. Surrender your life to Him:

 

• Receive the gift of salvation
• Study the word and obey what it says
• Pray without ceasing
• Cultivate the habit of praising and worshiping God always.
• Do the work of an evangelist or an ambassador of Christ and rescue the many people who are perishing.

If you do all the things listed above and you work hard in your chosen profession God will prosper you. You will have all you need and more.

 

By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson

References

1. King James Bible
2. google.com
3. Oxford English Dictionary