Better to Be Poor and Honest
By Rick Warren
“It is better to be poor and honest than to be foolish and tell lies” (Proverbs 19:1 NCV).
God does not bless dishonesty. Proverbs 16:11a says, “The Lord demands fairness in every business deal” (TLB). That includes wages, salaries, and taxes. If you want God’s blessing on your finances, you must be honest about them. The Bible also says, “It is better to be poor and honest than to be foolish and tell lies” (Proverbs 19:1 NCV).
Why is this an important principle? When you’re going through a season of financial stress, the temptation is enormous to toss out your integrity and to cheat in order to make ends meet. It may mean you shade the truth on a sale or exaggerate or deflate the value of something. It may mean you claim a false deduction on your taxes. You always lose in the long run when you lose your integrity. And that’s what you are taking to Heaven — your character, not your money. You always lose when you give up your integrity.
The Bible says in Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it” (NIV). Profit that is made dishonestly brings trouble with it. Why? If you rip off people, other people are going to rip you off. If you cheat — including the government — you’re going to get cheated in life. What you sow, you will reap.
This decision to be honest in your finances is not something you make once for all. It’s a daily decision. You’re going to be tempted to lie. Sometimes honesty costs you. Have you learned that? Sometimes it costs to tell the truth on a form.
But God says that if you’re faithful to him in this, you’ll never have to worry about your financial needs.
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Talk It Over
Where in the financial details of your life can you choose to honor God today?
How have you seen God bless your hard but honest decisions about money?
Why is doing the honest thing with your finances often the more difficult choice?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
It doesn't matter how much you work out or how healthy you may eat, if you're not feeding and exercising your spirit… you're going to feel run down and tired – you’ll run out of gas. You’ve got to do more than just take care of your body. You’ve got to energize your spirit! And the best way to do that is with God’s Word! That’s why we’ve put together this new interactive guide called Re-Energize Your Life!
In this first-of-its-kind guide, created from Pastor Rick’s most practical teaching, you will learn everything you need to know to re-energize your life the way God intended. Step by step, you will begin a journey of restoration and renewal. It’s a hands-on guide you take at your own pace. No need to rush! In fact, we encourage you to stop and linger where you want to spend more time. You’ll benefit from biblical wisdom and learn how to apply it to your life in practical ways.
This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
