Wisdom and money

We want wisdom and money. But having only money may not be as good. Better not to have to decide between them. But if you have to make a choice, wisdom is more valuable than money. Money will not protect you from the bad consequences of your ignorance. It is amazing how money can twist your relationships in a way that will attract people that only care about your money. Money can become your focus too and attract your attention in a way that can ruin everything else. Money is not bad in itself, but it has to be your servant and not your master.

Develop relationships based on love, honesty and trust. These relationships will survive better, good and bad times.

Better to be poor and honest

   than a rich person no one can trust.

2 Ignorant zeal is worthless;

   haste makes waste.

3 People ruin their lives by their own stupidity,

   so why does God always get blamed?

4 Wealth attracts friends as honey draws flies,

   but poor people are avoided like a plague.

5 Perjury won’t go unpunished.

   Would you let a liar go free?

6 Lots of people flock around a generous person;

   everyone’s a friend to the philanthropist.

7 When you’re down on your luck, even your family avoids you—

   yes, even your best friends wish you’d get lost.

If they see you coming, they look the other way—

   out of sight, out of mind.

(Prov.19:1-7 MSG)

Prayer: Let me appreciate people regardless of their wealth. Let me see in everybody the value You put in them, oh God. Don’t let money obscure my relationships. I seek Your counsel and wisdom. Without You I am lost. You are the light of my path. Guide me today and every day of my life.

Words kill or give life

An anonymous proverb says: “We own what we don’t say and are slaves of what we say”. The power of your speech is often underestimated. The right words at the right time can make a big difference in somebody’s life. This is more so if you are a parent, family member, friend or any authority figure for that person. With the same tongue, you can destroy or build, do good or bad, inspire or discourage, forgive or condemn. 

The fact that you said something very inspiring today is not protecting you from doing the opposite tomorrow. You need a constant interaction with God, depending on Him to inspire you, to stimulate good thoughts in you, to feed your inner person daily. Left alone your own nature will not necessarily do good. Make a decision to guard your mouth and be faithful to Jesus in everything you say.

Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach;

   good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.

21 Words kill, words give life;

   they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

22 Find a good spouse, you find a good life—

   and even more: the favor of God!

23 The poor speak in soft supplications;

   the rich bark out answers.

24 Friends come and friends go,

   but a true friend sticks by you like family.

(Prov.18:20-24 MSG)

Prayer: I submit my words and my thinking to You, oh God. Give me the wisdom to use them to built up, to encourage, to comfort, to forgive, to free, to teach, to inspire, to do good to others. Protect me from having a destructive speech. Fill my heart with Your thinking. I want to be able to talk life out of my mouth. You are my source.

Tough decisions

Life is full of decisions, small and big, daily or frequent decisions and extremely rare decisions. Sometimes, decisions are tough to make. Specially when you don’t know the whole truth and other people may be affected by what you decide. Be patient, don’t rush without knowledge. Always remember the grace God showed us in Jesus. It is better to err being too merciful than to err by being too harsh on people. It is always good to offer grace, to give people a second chance, to help out somebody in love.

A gift gets attention;

   it buys the attention of eminent people.

17 The first speech in a court case is always convincing—

   until the cross-examination starts!

18 You may have to draw straws

   when faced with a tough decision.

19 Do a favor and win a friend forever;

   nothing can untie that bond.

(Prov.18:16-19 MSG)

Prayer: My God and my Lord, I need Your wisdom for times of decision. I don’t want to be on my own. I am very limited in my perspective of things, help me to be humble. You always know what is the best thing to do. You will guide me to the right path at the right time. I want to trust You and follow Your lead, every day of my life.

Developing a healthy spirit

To have a healthy spirit you need a learning attitude. To be teachable you need to learn to listen, to pay attention. God gave you the capacity of learning, evolving, changing, growing, conquering your weak areas, becoming a better person, mature. He sent Jesus to show you a model of person, to have a high standard for you to follow. Don’t compare yourself with somebody that don’t measure up. Jesus is the right model you need to follow. He is the visible image of an invisible God. If you want to know God, look to Jesus. If you want to know how a human being should behave, look to Jesus. He is the model you need.

Answering before listening

   is both stupid and rude.

14 A healthy spirit conquers adversity,

   but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?

15 Wise men and women are always learning,

   always listening for fresh insights.

(Prov.18:13-15 MSG)

Prayer: Give me the humility to listen and to be willing to learn from others. Thanks for Jesus, thanks for revealing yourself to us. Thanks for showing us the way. Help me to be willing to change, to grow, to mature, to be more and more like You, oh God.  

The right attitudes

Without discipline you cannot go far in life. You need direction, commitment, discipline and perseverance. Most of these attitudes don’t come naturally. It requires surrendering yourself to the cause, and often, to deny yourself instant gratifications in the view of a long time goal. Trusting your riches or pride could be the pathway to a downfall. Trusting in God and being humble will give you God’s recognition, which is the most important approval you can get.

Slack habits and sloppy work

   are as bad as vandalism.

10 God’s name is a place of protection—

   good people can run there and be safe.

11 The rich think their wealth protects them;

   they imagine themselves safe behind it.

12 Pride first, then the crash,

   but humility is precursor to honor.

(Prov.18:9-12 MSG)

Prayer: Help me to discipline myself. Let me avoid careless work. I want to be careful and do with excellence whatever I do. Show me direction to help me to choose the right path, trusting in You and being humble.

Speaking & listening

It is easy to be unjust when talking about someone else. You need to have deep understanding and wisdom before making any conclusion about others and even then, very often, it is not wise to talk about them. If you tend to talk easily about others, stop it, restrain yourself. The same goes to listening to people talking bad about others. You don’t need to contaminate your mind with non constructive thinking. Don't make excuses for it. Purify your mind, purify your speech. Don’t let bad thinking darken your day. Let God’s word dominate your thoughts. Make the decision to talk or listen only to those things that will be constructive and will contribute to the good of others.

It’s not right to go easy on the guilty,

   or come down hard on the innocent.

6 The words of a fool start fights;

   do him a favor and gag him.

7 Fools are undone by their big mouths;

   their souls are crushed by their words.

8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;

   do you really want junk like that in your belly?

(Prov.18:5-8 MSG)

Prayer: Make me aware of my words and of what I am listening. Help me to stop in time before making any conclusions about others. Help me not to contribute in ruining other people’s reputation. Purify my mind. Help me to be constructive and encouraging to others. I want to contribute to other people's growth.

Don’t be a fool

Don’t be a loner, start to reach out and collaborate for the common good. Think, think, search for wisdom and value good thinking, it is like a muscle that you have to train. Don’t let evil thoughts stay in your mind, it will bear fruits you will not like afterward. Don’t let contempt for life invade your thinking. Let God’s wisdom flow through your mind and overflow all areas of your life.

Loners who care only for themselves

   spit on the common good.

2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse;

   all they do is run off at the mouth.

3 When wickedness arrives, shame’s not far behind;

   contempt for life is contemptible.

4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood,

   but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.

(Prov.18:1-4 MSG)

Prayer: I need Your help oh God. Don’t let me be a foolish. Let me value and look for wisdom. Protect my mind from foolish thinking. Flow through my thoughts, invade my whole life with Your words, Your wisdom, Your peace and Your joy. Let me be constantly connected to Your river of wisdom.