Gems of Wisdom From the BibleНамуна

Use your wealth well

Being wise affects how you spend your money. Wise people have the right attitude towards their possessions. For wealth is a gift from the Lord, and we should honor Him with it instead of putting our trust in our money or greedily striving for more, more, more.

God had given the Israelites the command to offer Him the firstfruits of their produce as a sacrificial gift: the first grain, the first wine, the first olive oil of that year, and so on, should be brought to the temple. By offering these firstfruits to the Lord, the people thanked Him for the harvest and acknowledged Him as the ultimate ‘owner’ of “the earth and all that is on it”. Giving away part of their produce would not make the Israelites poor. On the contrary, God promised them plenty! And although we know (e.g. from the book of Job) that there can be exceptions, Israel’s history indeed shows the general principle that serving the Lord leads to blessing. In the New Testament, the material component of God’s blessing is less prominent. But the basic guideline remains the same: dealing wisely with your possessions means honoring God with them and using them for righteous purposes.

How do you use the wealth God gave you — be it much or little?