The philosopher Seneca lived at the time of Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul. One of his quotes rocked me:
“Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool.”
I might have used those words to say:
“The wise man has wealth. The slave doesn’t.”
But Seneca had a better idea — WEALTH is either a slave or a master.
It all depends on the person holding it.
Please give this song a listen, then come back and we’ll talk about being on the GOOD side of wealth.
Not too little, not too much
Look at this prayer in Proverbs 30:
…give me neither poverty nor riches;
… lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the LORD?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
Too poor? We risk stealing and dishonoring God.
Too rich? We risk forgetting God.
Two poor masters
How rich is too rich? If the wealth causes me to forget God, it is too much wealth for me. The wealth would be my master.
How poor is too poor? If the poverty causes me to steal and dishonor God, I need to change! The poverty would be my master.
Just right
Ephesians chapter 4 to the rescue!
“Let him that stole steal no more:
but rather let him labor,
working with his hands the thing which is good,
that he may have to give to him that needs.”
Ephesians helps us get it just right! Work so we can take care of our own needs and have extra to give to others.
Wealth should be our servant, not our master.
I can believe God to have wealth enough for myself and to do His work.
Poverty should be neither our master nor servant. It should be a stranger. Poverty is not an acceptable place to stay.
I can believe God to have wealth enough for myself and to do His work.
Created for good works
Ephesians 2 says we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. II Corinthians 9 says God can make all grace abound that we always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
God is hiring! He has important, fulfilling work for us, and His pay scale is set up so we’ll have all we need for ourselves and for the work.
Why give?
God so loved that HE GAVE.
He gave His only begotten son.
He gave us everlasting life.
That is plenty of reason for us, out of love and thanks, to delight in giving back any way we can.
But God gives other reasons, too. A big one is “rewards”. God is NOT silent about rewards!
I’ll summarize:
God rewards our work for Him both NOW and in the life to come. Earthly wealth stays on earth. Heavenly wealth gets sent on ahead to be enjoyed forever.
Everlasting life is a gift, for which we can never thank God enough.
Rewards are earned — and NOW is the time to earn them.
A rich man died and people asked, “How much did he leave behind?” The answer: “He left it all!”
Remember this: “We can’t take it with us, but we can send it on ahead.”
Wise masters
Let’s live on the right side of wealth. Let’s work for God like we are designed to, and be wise masters of the abundance He provides to get it done.
God bless you lots!
-Dale R.
LYRICS: More Blessed To Give
Song by Dale Reichel
1. It’s a wonder, but it’s true
We were created to do
Good works the Father decreed
We work to have enough
To take care of our own stuff
And have something to share with those in need.
REFRAIN
‘Tis more blessed to give than receive
The Lord loves people giving cheerfully.
When I share what’s in my cup
God delights to fill it up
‘Tis more blessed to give than receive
2. As we give, God gives us more
Than we could ever store
Even if we built the world’s biggest shed
Through all these earthly days
Earthly treasure on earth stays
But our heavenly rewards are sent ahead.
3. God can make all grace abound
And spread His wealth around [to those]
On earth who help His kingdom’s work get done
He bountifully supplies
As we press for the prize
Of His calling through Jesus, His son.
Your thoughts?
How has God shown you His ability to provide? Please jot a note in the “Leave a reply” spot below.
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Recording originally posted July 12, 2019
Great new song from a very old foundational principle! Thanks for sharing your joy in giving in both thought and deed.
Cathy, thanks for your comment. It is indeed an old principle — and it IS fun to sing about — especially getting to sing it to YOU. God bless you lots — D.
Dale. I enjoyed this post and others, as I have pocked around your site. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be back to visit often.
Your sister in Christ and fellow MFC – Dina
Dina, thanks for your kind words. I appreciate your participation as we continue to build this “sermon & song” collection. God bless you lots! -Dale R.
I’ve been re-reading “The Millionaire Next Door” and pondering a lot about money recently. I think this song + article sums up the proper perspective perfectly! God’s calculations often differ entirely from earthly “wisdom.” He gave, so we give, with eternity in mind. 🙂
Good early morning mr.Dale, thank u so much for your inspiring songs, it is more blessed to give than to receive, because, OUR FATHER JESUS GAVE IT ALL, SO THAT WE MAY LIVE IN HIM.. THE WAY MY FATHER JESUS HAS SHOWN ME HOW HE WILL PROVIDE IS WHEN HE STRETCHED OUT HIS ARMS AND DIED SO THAT We Might Live…I love YOU MY FATHER JESUS…ALWAYS…Thanks again, mr Dale, MAY OUR FATHER HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE U Continually..be blessed mr Dale, be very blessed….
I like the verses! It makes it feel like a different song, but definitely more ‘instructive’ now with the added lyrics. Nice! Also loving this very powerful attitude toward poverty: “Poverty should be neither our master nor servant. It should be a stranger. Poverty is not an acceptable place to stay.” Yes, yes, yes. Just the expression “not acceptable” is empowering. In this context, boom. It’s a chain breaker. THANK YOU for another gem!