18th February 2021 – Integrity, A Measure of Wealth

Proverbs 30:7-9: “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

The world defines rich different than God does and the same goes for the term poor. You can be wealthy and have a lot of money but still be poor in the eyes of the Lord.  “He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.”– Henry Ward Beecher (1813–1887)

 The book of Proverbs does practically tell us who is poor and who will be poor according to their lifestyle and actions:

1. A person who has a lazy lifestyle, not willing to work like the ants do, and not diligent in what God called them to do is poor.
2. A person who has money but no life, no family, no friends, no God is poor!

• A person who is enslaved to the lender is poor. Let me rephrase this way- they are in debt so much they are in financial bondage and therefore poor.

1. A poor person with discernment sees how deluded the rich are without wisdom.v. A person who loves pleasure will be poor.

The wealth of a man should be measured in his integrity; a person of integrity has the blessing of the Lord. To have integrity is to be consistently and predictably honest in your dealings and relationships. It is a noble thing to be known as a person of integrity. It means being willing to do what is right-even if it costs you. It means doing what is right-even if no one sees your actions.

Aligning our life to God’s Word will result in spiritual growth, more meaningful relationships and fewer long-term problems. It is also how we develop integrity or become blameless before God. Integrity and sensitivity are indispensable requirements for those who would serve well in positions of leadership. Talent and skill, brilliance and alertness, eloquence and energy are not enough. The problem is not just getting work done but the justice with which we live, work, and build relationships.

Proverbs 28:6 reveals the paradoxical success of integrity. “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse (crooked) though he be rich”.