Taking Flight

For Friday, July 6, 2007
Proverbs 23:4-5

Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.
When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.

Is it wrong to desire to be wealthy? It is wrong if wealth is the objective for working. Work is good. Managing your money well so that your assets grow is good. You ought to aim for financial security. You ought to think ahead so as to provide for your retirement and not be a burden to others if possible. You ought to provide for your family.

But wealth itself should not be your object. Why? The reason given here is its transitory nature. Wealth can be lost and, indeed, is likely to be lost if you have single-mindedly worked towards it. It is one thing to become wealthy out of wise, thrifty handling of your money; it is another because you have figured out some get-rich scheme. It is one thing to become wealthy because of a devotion to the product you are producing or the service you are providing; it is another because you are only devoted to stuffing your own pockets. It is one thing to become wealthy because you have treated others fairly; it is another because you used people as means to your advantage.

The lust for wealth skewers our values. And if we are on the outside of the wealthy circle trying to get in, our tendency will be to take unethical means to get inside. Keep in perspective what really matters for happiness. It is not wealth. It is not being with the "in" crowd. It is in doing work that itself is fulfilling. It is in providing properly for your family. It is in honoring the Lord. This is where true, lasting happiness comes that does not fly off.

Table Manners

For Thursday, July 5, 2007
Proverbs 23:1-3

When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
Do not desire his delicacies
for they are deceptive food.

These verses open a section that goes through verse 8, presenting the scenario of a person being brought into the circle of the higher class. It seems the teacher disapproves of enjoying good fortune. What he is really addressing is how moving up to a "higher" class or entering into an "inner ring" can blind us to realities that accompany this seemingly better life.

Why be so careful at the dinner table of a person of higher rank? For one thing, you are being watched and judged. However, friendly the "ruler" might seem, however much he may seem to want you to feel at home, he is watching and judging your behavior. You are not sitting among old friends who accept you as you are. You are sitting among persons who are still determining if you are worthy of being with them. You have to strike a careful balance - showing due appreciation without getting too excited, appreciating good food without over indulging.

Another thing to be careful of is what will be expected of you afterwards. Once you accept the hospitality of the "ruler," you are now in his debt. He may be expecting favors from you later. All the more, you need to watch that you do not over indulge in his "generosity."

How good it is to sit at our Ruler's table of the most precious food - the bread and the wine that represent the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. How good it is to know that there are no strings attached. At this table is where our Ruler communicates that we are fully accepted.

Skill

For Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Proverbs 22:29

Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.

Skill is admired. Whether it be skill with one's hands and one's mind; whether it be artistic work or that of the laborer, a person of skill is admired especially by his peers. It is they who will bring him before "kings" for recognition.

The skillful person not only has the skill but delights in using it. That is what separates him from others. Such delight compells him to perfect his craft. He is dedicated to his work because the very work itself (perhaps even more than the finished product) gives him pleasure. The tragedy for many persons of skill is letting the recognition of "kings" divert their attention to fame and thus lose their focus and pleasure in their work. They become more interested in being known for their skill than in exercising their skill.

The proverb is not dismissing recogntion. It is presenting recognition as a reward for skill. But remember - it is the skill, not promotion that leads him before the kings. Keep attentive to what you do well. For some day you will stand before the King to present your work. Take pleasure in that work now; take joy in the ability given you now to serve your King.

Ancient Landmarks

For Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Proverbs 22:28

Do not move the ancient landmark
that your fathers have set.

This refers to the property lines set marking the property belonging to a family. Its application is that we are to honor all contracts and agreements made before us. We do not move property lines; we do not revise contracts - i. e. not without appropriate agreements. An appropriate agreement is not merely a legal one, but one in which we are assuring fairness for the other party.

It means that we take responsibility for the agreements that our fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers made. As citizens, we take responsibility for the agreements made by our government both past and present. So do we as members of a church. So do we as members of God's kingdom.

Consider some of the ancient "landmarks" set by Christ - turn the other cheek, do unto others what you would them do unto you, go the extra mile. Such agreements we inherited when we took our inheritance. We may not revise the lines; we may not add conditional clauses. As our fathers accepted these lines, so must we, knowing as they the property awaiting us in heaven.

Insecure Security

For Monday, July 2, 2007
Proverbs 22:26-27

Be not one of those who give pledges,
who put up security for debts.
If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?

The proverbs are quick to encourage generosity. They are also quick to discourage foolishness. It is generous to give and to give sacrificially. It is foolish to tie oneself to another man's questionable ability to handle his money properly.

The very fact that a person needs another signer means something about him carries risk. Perhaps he simply has yet to build a credit history. Perhaps his credit history is poor. Perhaps he does not have sufficient equity to cover a loss. Whatever the case, there is risk. You should decide beforehand whether or not you can sufficiently cover the risk. If you decide that you can, you should already in your mind treat the co-signing as a gift given. If the other person comes through and you lose no money, then that is an added bonus.

To approach lending your name and property as security as a risk that you cannot afford, but that you do out of loyalty or guilt helps no one. You put yourself in a worrisome position. Even should the other person come through, you meanwhile are anxious. If he does not come through, if he is late in coming through, there will be inevitable tension in your relationship and likely a break in it. Then there is the very real financial loss. If you are married and if you have children, you loss becomes theirs.

Again, it is not giving generously that is the issue here. It is committing to something that you have no control over - the ability of your neighbor making good on what he has committed to - that is the issue. Don't make commitments that you cannot keep without loss you are not willing to accept gracefully.

Remember, the Gospel is about giving treasure away. It is not about making loans that remain valuable to you and which will bring harm if not repaid.