Day 25

Debt, Wealth, and Poverty

from the Proverbs reading plan


Proverbs 11:28, Proverbs 14:21, Proverbs 16:8, Proverbs 21:5-6, Proverbs 22:1-5, Proverbs 22:7, Proverbs 28:6, Proverbs 28:8, Proverbs 28:11

BY She Reads Truth

The book of Proverbs is a guide for pursuing godly wisdom in our daily lives. In this four-week study, we will read a selection of topical proverbs covering different aspects of wisdom, from how to interact with our friends, families, and neighbors, to fearing God and keeping His commands. No matter the subject, these proverbs urge us to wrestle with and reflect on our own response to them. To help you better engage with the proverbs in this reading plan, we have provided you with a short introduction and reflection questions for each day.

There is nothing inherently sinful about wealth. God gave King Solomon great wealth, and He continues to use the generosity of His people to fund important works of mercy and justice around the world. But God’s people are called to be very careful when it comes to the pursuit of wealth and very generous when it comes to caring for the poor. Money is more than a means to buy the things we need. It is power, and it always has been. Love of money is a “root of all kinds of evil,” because it is often the love of being able to wield power for our own benefit (1 Timothy 6:10). 

Reflection Questions:

Have you ever financially over-extended yourself? If so, what did that experience teach you? 

Read Proverbs 11:28. What else does God’s Word teach you about trust? Why shouldn’t you trust in your riches? 

Being as honest with yourself as you can be, do you think you are a person who easily sees the poverty in and around you? Why is it important to remember that God made us all, regardless of our wealth or social status? 

Post Comments (41)

41 thoughts on "Debt, Wealth, and Poverty"

  1. L V says:

    I think financial stress can be the worst stress. Sometimes it’s hard to live within your means when your means barely covers life expenses. Struggling month after month is exhausting. I’m glad to be in a place where that doesn’t happen now but it’s memory makes me want to avoid regressing to that place at all costs. For those of you struggling financially, I’m sorry, I know it’s so tough.

  2. Patty Allen says:

    Wealth is a “thing” not a savior. While wealth will not necessarily leave, it can. More importantly, it cannot save.

  3. Lauren Haykus says:

    I back tracked because I missed a day. I loved this lesson. This made me look at myself again. I always got a new car every 4 years, coach purses ECT… Since I have drawn in to a closer relationship with our Lord I realized I don’t need this, I started buying bookbags and purses and filling them and donating, keeping bags in my car filled with items if I see someone in need. I feel so much more fulfilled, I will never go back to my selfish ways, thank you God for finding me and showing me the path I need to be walking.

  4. Kelly Gibbons says:

    The more money you have the harder it is to rely on God because more material needs are met. May we all use our finances big and small to bless others in some way!

  5. Tricia says:

    Paula thank you for sharing, this spoke to me.

  6. Allison Bentley says:

    Look at giving as an opportunity to be that blessing for someone else. God is using you to shine His light!

  7. Kenzie says:

    (1) Yes, I have financially over-extended myself. It taught me how to live without and to made me realize how serious money is. It’s not just something to splurge and have fun with. It’s something that is of value and needed.

    (2) God’s word teaches us not to put our trust in our finances but to put our trust in Him. We shouldn’t trust in riches because they come and go. They can easily be taken from us.

    (3) No, I do not always see the poverty in and around me. Sometimes things are gray. People who look rich might have spent all their money to look that way but have little food to survive on for the week. It’s important to remember that God made us all, because we should still love each other regardless of how much we have or don’t have.

  8. Paula Kline says:

    1) Have you ever financially over-extended yourself? If so, what did that experience teach you? I have learned to be discerning about debt. I have also learned to live below my means.

    (2) Read Proverbs 11:28. What else does God’s Word teach you about trust? Why shouldn’t you trust in your riches? Scripture has taught me that trust, like all of our ways to make spiritual investment, is only fruitful when planted in God. I cannot trust my husband, if I don’t trust God first. Why? Because I will look to him to BE God instead of be a human. Money is the same. I cannot trust money, if I don’t trust God first. Because if I trust money first, I will worship it. I will look to it to BE God and money is simply NOT God. It cannot change the human heart. It cannot purchase the end of suffering and death. It cannot forgive sins or erase their impact. But when I trust God first money (like marriage) can be an avenue for bringing God’s kingdom here.

    (3) Being as honest with yourself as you can be, do you think you are a person who easily sees the poverty in and around you? Why is it important to remember that God made us all, regardless of our wealth or social status? I think I am sincere in my ability to acknowledge poverty around me, but in me…. Hmmm… I think when I look daily into the mirror of Scripture I am more likely to see the poverty in me. When I drift, I think that is one of the first things to go. With regard to remembering God’s hand in creating all of us, it is our very human desire to be tribal. To make dividing lines of us and them. Us, We, are the “good guys”; Them, They, are the “bad guys”. Financial position is one of our favorite ways to do this. The rich hate the poor, the poor hate the rich. The songs we sing in those tribes are all about how the poor sealed their fate with their foolishness, laziness and sin; or the rich got their wealth with deceit, oppression and sin. And sometimes they did. But sometimes they did not. Our concern with outgrouping is a distraction from the real work of uprooting sin in our own lives.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *