A Fool and His Money

Proverbs 17:16
Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?

It is said "A fool and his money are quickly parted." but I've found that sometimes the foolish can be quite greedy with their cash. At least... that's my case.

This hit me hard today as I was praying. Sometimes we cry out to God that we don't have anything, or we don't have the things we want or need. In some cases, that's an honest plea for help.

But in other cases, it is an example of foolish behavior that has led to our own demise.

I've been asking God for a new job. The new job would be great for me, professionally. But it would also come with a small raise. And for two months the prospective new boss hasn't said yes. He hasn't said no, either, but that's only been a partial consolation.

But this verse today was a kind of correction rod. I had laid out exactly how I would spend that money. Who would each get their share of the raise. God would get his slice, I consoled myself.

But reading this today, I was hit with something: I am being foolish with the money I already have. Why should I get more if I am foolish with what I've already been responsible for. God doesn't just want his "slice." Since how we handle "stuff: is a reflection of how we handle "self", God wants all of us, and all of our resources. (If you think about it, without God, we wouldn't have any resources to give in the first place.)

Did I spend the money on frivolous things? No. But I didn't spend it on what God was asking me to. There was a specific thing I was holding on to. I refused to give it away (to that specific thing) because "I need it, too. I have bills." But God is telling me to give it away, dispite how it "doesn't fit the budget" and watch God to see how he's going to stretch the remaining dollars to not only meet the budget, but exceed it.

Why should [ I ] have money in [ my ] hand with no intention of buying wisdom?

That was the question that God was asking of me today.