November 1, 2023: How To Be Poor

"Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich." (Proverbs 21:17, ESV)

The Bible has much to say about prosperity and poverty. You have to work to be poor, and you have to work to be prosperous. Most people do not think about it that way. Most people believe that poverty comes easily and wealth is hard to find. They do not realize they are working principles to stay poor. For example, our scripture above offers three ways to remain poor: love pleasure, love wine, and love oil.

What is Solomon saying in this proverb? He is saying that if you are addicted to pleasures, you will have an empty life. You will always be looking for the next thrill and spending your hard-earned money on things that do not satisfy or increase. Solomon is saying that if you are a lover of wine or alcohol, you will be consuming your hard-earned money only to fill your toilet with it. Solomon is telling us that the man who spends all he has on himself has no consideration for his future. So if you want to be poor, spend all you can on yourself without regard for your future.
 
Most people do not realize they are working a poverty principle to stay poor when they constantly spend their money on themselves. There is a reason most lottery winners are broke within a few years of winning the lotto. How often are you working the principle to stay poor?