Thanks for joining us on this journey of building a consistent habit of reading our Bibles every day. The Bible reading plan we are using this year can be found here: One Year Bible or here on the Bible app. As always, if you miss a day, don’t feel compelled to go back and catch up. Just skip it and start back on today’s date. I am reading the NLT this year, but feel free to use whatever version you prefer. Now here are some thoughts from today’s readings:
Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.
– Proverbs 13:22
This verse is obviously about money, but that’s not all it’s about. Most of the verses we read in the Bible have a direct meaning and a broader principle behind it. The basic meaning of this verse has two parts. The first tells us that if we are good people, we will leave an inheritance large enough for two generations. Notice it doesn’t say if you don’t do this, that you’re not a good person. It’s leaving more of a challenge to God people. Also, it doesn’t necessarily say how much you have to leave. The second part of the verse assures us that godly people will receive the wealth of the wicked. That opens the door to a host of other questions, like when will that happen and how do we prepare ourselves for that?
Now, let’s look at the deeper principle meanings behind this verse. First, God wants us to be generational thinking people. What you do “echoes through eternity” as the movie Gladiator tells us. The decisions you’re making now may seem personal, but they will affect your grand kids. Think about it. Every loan you take out, every sin you get entangled in, every relationship you burn, all of that and more will be handed to your grand children whether you or they like it or not. So, we need to stop before every potential decision we make and ask ourselves, “How will this affect my kid’s kids?”
The second principle is one that is covered in more detail in other places in the Bible, but it is essentially that we shouldn’t be frustrated when it seems like sinful people are getting ahead in life. God has our back and He’ll take care of everything we need. In fact, we should feel sorry for them to point of praying for them, even if they are well off. Money doesn’t fix loneliness, hopelessness, or broken hearts. Only Christ does that. Trust God with your needs financially and commit to pray for those who seem to be prospering as sinners. Their bank account may prosper, but their soul won’t.
What decisions do you need to fix before they land at the next generations door step?