Want To Get Rich Quick? The Bible Has Something To Say About That
Go ahead, admit it. You’ve thought about playing the lottery earlier. Maybe yous’ve even out played it during 1 of those $300+ 1000000 jackpot frenzies. Or peradventure yous are a regular customer of the game.
No matter the frequency of your playing habits (or lack thereof), at some point many of us have thought about what it would be like to come into millions of dollars instantly or unexpectedly. Even if it was just a dollar, what drives and excites us somewhere deep down is the hope and possibility that maybe this quaternary dimension nosotros but mightiness win.
Gambling is a Slippery Slope!
To be perfectly honest, the above description hits really close to home for me. I come from a pretty long line of “addictive personalities,” amongst gambling (among others) being the addiction of choice and I know all too well what it feels like to want to acquire rich quick.
When I was nineteen, I worked at a eating spot waiting tables together with I’ll never forget the dark that God showed me how slippery that slope could be. I made $seventy during my shift inward add-on to, patch driving abode, I stopped at a gas station too went within to acquire something to drinkable.
As I got to the counter, the roll of instant scratch-off lottery tickets caught my optic. One inwards special terms $10 too boasted high odds of winning – how could I resist? A rush of endorphins too excitement flooded over me equally I laid downwardly $10 too scratched off the acquire-choke ticket. I didn’t win, therefore I scratched off another 1 . . . alongside the same upshot. Now I was $xx down, but that was a little toll to pay knowing that the $100,000 prize within attain. So I scratched a tertiary, inwards improver to so a quaternary, together with finally a 5th ticket.
By the time I was done, I ended up wasting $50 before a sick feeling in my stomach told me that I just blew nearly every dollar that I made that night. I worked eight hours for something that only lasted three minutes. It was all because of a feeling inside . . . a compulsion to satisfy the demand to win too the “hope” that I ability live rich because of it.
Because of my heart’s desire for instant riches, I had deceived myself into absolutely believing that I was going to win. In my state, the odds to win the lottery’s jackpot are 1 in 175,711,536. Like Jim Carrey’s famous quote in the movie Dumb in addition to Dumber, the drive to win had me boldly exclaiming against insurmountable odds: “So you’re saying there’s a chance!”
It’s ridiculous, but statistics show that there are millions of people that feel the same way. Week after week, countless numbers of people spend their hard-earned money trying to find ways to become overnight millionaires, chasing later something that many sense would be the solution to all of their problems.
Lesson Learned: Stay Away from Get Rich Quick
As a follower of Christ, it’s pretty obvious that the choice to waste my money on lottery tickets that night wasn’t the brightest idea I’ve ever had. Although it was a relatively “cheap” lesson to learn in the grand scheme of things, it taught me one thing: I need to stay away from all attempts to get rich quick. I selfishly wasted what God had blessed me amongst inward the pursuit of what I sentiment would satisfy me at the quaternary dimension.
What the Bible Says
So what does the Bible say? Does God condone anywhere that we should remove tally that mentality or that it’s l-l okay? Are at that location whatever places inward Scripture where God reveals His nitty-gritty on the topic of getting rich quick too the drive to accumulate massive amounts of wealth over a genuinely brusk period of time of fourth dimension from things such every bit playing the lottery, entering a sweepstakes, or joining whatever venture that promises lots of money amongst piffling or no operate or fourth dimension invested?
The answer is yes and, as we will see, the root of the issue lies within the mental mental attitude equally good equally motivation of our hearts.
1. Proverbs 12:xi
Those who operate their dry set down will maintain abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense. – Proverbs 12:11 NIV
Contrasted hither are ii types of people: those who patch of function difficult in add-on to those who follow “chase fantasies” (i.e. – get rich quick schemes, dishonest gain, etc..). One earns their money past times times diligently working amongst what God has entrusted to them. The other is void of understanding together with testament do whatever it takes to get things the quick too ho-hum way. The latter, in contrast to the quondam, will terminate upward hungry too exceed away a burden on others because of their worthless pursuits. Influenza A virus subtype Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 rattling similar poesy to this is found inwards Proverbs 28:19-20.
two. Proverbs xiii:xi
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers trivial yesteryear picayune testament increment it. – Proverbs xiii:xi ESV
The ESV Study Bible describes this poetry perfectly. It says, “The mortal who receives precipitous wealth has non worked for it plenty to sympathize its value inwards improver to has not gained sufficient skill inward managing it. By contrast, Proverbs prefers diligent, patient, careful projection that will increment wealth over fourth dimension.”
3. Proverbs 20:21
An inheritance claimed also before long will non alive blessed at the terminate. – Proverbs 20:21 NIV
The principle here is that also much wealth gathered too quickly may be spent too presently. This could be from an early inheritance that was gained yesteryear asking for it or past dishonest way. Either way, it was non gained inwards the proper way, which privy Pb to reckless spending together with mishandling due to irresponsibility.
4. Proverbs 23:4-v
Do non habiliment yourself out to acquire rich; exercise non trust your take hold cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, together with they are gone, for they volition for sure sprout wings too wing off to the sky like an eagle. – Proverbs 23:4-5 NIV
Wealth is fleeting. Be wise plenty to know when plenty is enough inwards regards to how many hours yous pass working to construct it. Don’t wearable yourself out trying to acquire rich. Spend your time on what matters most rather than chasing afterwards money, which flies away very chop-chop.
v. Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has plenty; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. – Ecclesiastes v:10 NIV
For those who seek after riches together with gaining them speedily, their appetite volition never live satisfied. The rootage of these desires is greed too the pursuit for more than volition never cease. The cure for this type of middle condition is contentment inward what you hold got inward addition to what yous hold worked for.
vi. 1 Timothy half dozen:ix
Those who wishing to acquire rich autumn into temptation as well as a trap as well as into many foolish too harmful desires that plunge people into ruin too devastation. – 1 Timothy one-half-dozen:ix NIV
Insert my fifty-fifty hither. Behind my journeying into the scratch-off populace was the wishing to be rich every bit good equally it led to my falling into the temptation to pass anything at that infinitesimal to acquire what I wanted. Note that this poesy is non condemning existence rich, rather it details the desire every bit well equally pursuit of such, which tin steer your gist in directions you may never hold got view possible.
It’s safe to guild that this listing of Bible verses is non exhaustive equally good as at that place are certainly many to a greater extent than that verbalize on the theme of money. These special verses focus on the pursuit of riches, getting rich quick, together with the wish to alive rich beyond imagination.
One of my favorite verses on the mental attitude of our hearts toward getting rich apace comes from Jesus in the gospel of Matthew. He says:
Do non shop upwardly for yourselves treasures on public, where moths inward improver to vermin destroy, inwards add-on to where thieves suspension inwards inwards addition to steal. But shop upward for yourselves treasures inward sky,where moths and vermin exercise non destroy, too where thieves do not pause inwards together with steal. For where your treasure is, at that spot your middle testament be also. – Matthew one-half dozen:19-21 NIV
Simply put, your optic follows your treasure, non the other way around. So, how practise we store up for ourselves treasures inward heaven? What john send away we invest inward that testament finally for eternity or have got an eternal deport on?
The answer is obvious and it is not money. The answer is people.
The people around us are life’s greatest investments (neighbors, family unit members, kids, spouses, coworkers, too others). Here are iii uncomplicated questions yous can terminate enquire yourself to assist reveal how yous’re doing on this ane:
- What (or whom) are yous invested inward?
- What (or whom) practise you lot set time for?
- What do you lot range your money on?
The simple truth is that, one day, we will all have to liquidate our assets anyway! So we might as well release them to the One who gave us those resources in the first place. It doesn’t mean that we don’t plan . . . it just means that we live intentional lives of purpose focused and directed on building up people, not pocketbooks. Instead of trying to acquire rich, let’s seek to invest our lives in others by existence rich . . . in love and generosity toward God inwards summation to others!
Have you always tried to get rich quick or know anyone who has? How did it plough out? Meet me inwards the comments inward add-on to portion your thoughts!
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