Foolishness

“There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it.”
Proverbs 20:21 NKJV

Wise people are willing to endure short-term difficulty for long-term benefits. Foolish people seek immediate gratification at the expense of long-term benefits. The area of greatest disaster for people is how they handle their money. We need to learn the value of short-term sacrifice for long-term benefits. We live in the “I want it now” generation. Just look at the problems we face because of our charge it now pay for it later attitude. Why all the problems? We have not learned to look at the long-term consequences of our “I want it now” attitude. We fail to see the value of sacrifice and the benefits of delayed gratification. Solomon said it bluntly, “a foolish man squanders” his treasure.

What have gained by using credit to buy what we don’t have the money to purchase? You become a slave of the credit card industry. “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” [Proverbs 22:7] You pay outlandish interest rates running as high as 20%. This adds up to paying a minimum of three or four times the original cost of the item. How things have you bought on credit that are long gone or broken before you pay for them. You are robbing yourself of the freedom to prepare for your future.

It is time to exercise some discipline in money matters. Discipline produces a plan to save for both short-term specific items and long-term savings for our future needs. Discipline rejects the idea that immediate gratification is what is best and teaches us the value of sacrifice and delayed gratification.

One of the greatest examples of these concepts is Joseph. For seven years he systematically put away grain for the coming seven years of famine. If he did not exercise the most stringent discipline in the storing of grain what would have happened in Egypt to both the Egyptians and his own family? Joseph knew the seven years of famine were coming. Our hard times often come upon us unexpectedly making a financial plan that includes no debt and long-term saving an absolute necessity. There are two ingredients that must be an integral part of any plan. The first is being able to distinguish between real needs and wants. This allows us to implement the second concept. Setting aside immediate gratification for long-term benefits.

Where are you financially today because you failed to exercise discipline in your money matters? How many credit card companies own you? How large is your debt? What can’t you do today that you want to because of unwise spending in the past? It’s time to honor the Lord by changing the way you spend you money.

Final words of wisdom from God’s Word: “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith” [Proverbs 15:16]. “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked” [Psalm 37:16]. "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise [Proverbs 12:15].