Proverbs 11.15
“Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.”
The Lord calls us and commands us to be wise about how we manage our money. Keep in mind that biblical principles about money also apply to position and power.
> Be wise in your mindset toward money. Don’t let money become an idol. Wealth should never be the goal. The goal is effectiveness and fruitfulness. The same holds true for your mindset toward position and power. Don’t be greedy for power. In the kingdom of God, the purpose for position and power is to serve others, not self.
Here is the kingdom mindset about money: “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:6-10)
> Be wise in how you acquire money. Have a strong work ethic, and do your work with integrity. Work hard and don’t cheat! The same holds true for position and power. Be wise about how you acquire your position in life. Work hard and do the right things to earn it.
“Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.” (Proverbs 1.19)
“Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.” (Proverbs 10.2)
> See money for what it is: Simply a tool to be used for supporting your family, helping others, and getting things done as an agent of the kingdom. The same holds true for position and power. Don’t use your position and power to serve yourself; use your position to serve people, not yourself.
> Be very careful about lending money to people. The book of Proverbs calls on people of means to be generous toward those in need (29:7,14). However, it also frequently warns against helping others make loans. Again, wisdom is required. Don’t make foolish loans. Don’t loan money to people who are irresponsible and who will misuse money.
The same holds true for position and power. Do not support people who abuse position and power. Don’t lend them anything, because they will abuse their power. They will use their position for selfish reasons.
There will always be people in the world who possess significant wealth and power. How they acquire and deploy their wealth and power has a massive impact on society. This is a major issue that is being discussed today, especially on college campuses.
At the heart of this discussion is a resurgence of advocacy for socialism. The claim of socialism is that wealth and power are evenly distributed among the people. The reality of socialism is that wealth and power become concentrated with the ruling elite, who then become totalitarian dictators over the nation, and government owns and controls everything.
And since socialism eradicates the liberty afforded by a representative democracy, the citizens have no recourse once the ruling elite takes power. At that point, people realize that socialism’s promise of equal distribution of wealth and power is a lie. But the realization comes too late … because the ruling elite will not give up their power. This is the history and reality of socialism.
It must also be said that capitalism, if driven by selfishness and greed, is also harmful to people and society. The big difference, however, is that within capitalism there is a free democratic process that allows for redress and correction. A representative democracy gives much more power to the people than does socialism.
In any case, what is needed are wise people who acquire their wealth and position through hard work and integrity, and who see themselves as stewards who use their resources to do good things.
May people hear the truth in the book of Proverbs. May wisdom prevail.
