Pretending

Some who are poor pretend to be rich;others who are rich pretend to be poor.

Proverbs 13:7

This proverb gives us two ends of the bad stick of being obsessed with appearances and money.

First Timothy 6:10 tells us that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (NKJV).

Pretending to be rich is a trap. First of all, who cares? Big deal! The state of many people’s finances right now is the end result of thinking it is a big deal. We got caught up in thinking “bigger is better.” You buy a bigger, nicer house, then your old furniture and car look shabby. So you need to upgrade your clothes, and your kids need everything new and the latest. That put many people running the rat race, and there is a trap—for the rat—in that. There is!

If you’re a child of God and if you fell into the trap of living beyond your means by buying on credit, you’re probably feeling very desperate right now. This is a hard lesson. I ask you to learn it and never forget it. Before God, ask him to break you of judging the value of people by the car they drive or the house they live in.

In Luke 12:15 Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (NIV).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

We are familiar with people who live above their means for show, but does anyone who is rich chose to live like the poor? So glad you asked. Jesus was the Prince who lived like a pauper. He made “Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8, NKJV). Somebody asked me one day, “Why would he do that?” Good question. He did it for love’s sake. When was the last time you thanked him for this amazing love?

One Year Bible Reading

Joshua 13:1–14:15; Luke 18:1-17; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 13:7-8