𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝟐𝟖:𝟐𝟎 𝐀 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞...

Which won in Aesop’s fable – the hare or tortoise? The tortoise! Who wins in business – the steady Eddie or an ambitious dreamer? Eddie wins! But worse than losing, the impulsive dreamer that wants to get rich quickly also falls into sinful temptations that corrupt and destroy men. You can lose, and you can lose-lose. Choose today to win.Do you want to get rich quickly? Repent! It is a sinful desire, and it will ruin you. It will distort your judgment, create temptations for your soul, and bring both supernatural and natural laws against you financially. Instead, work hard at a noble and useful job or business and wait for natural and supernatural blessings to multiply you (Pr 28:19,21-22).There is context for this proverb. The faithful man here is a financially faithful man, one rejecting vain persons and working diligently at a farm (Pr 28:19,21-22). God promises prosperity to men who do not get distracted by delusions for quick financial success. But he warns greedy men, who grasp at get-rich-quick ideas, of their coming judgment.Faithfulness here is diligent, persevering, and virtuous effort at a trade or business. It is contrasted to the impulsive and imprudent actions of an impatient man, who is greedy to get ahead at any cost. Solomon knew men could be tempted to despise boring jobs and/or follow business and investment scams, so he warned you (Pr 12:11; 13:23; 14:23; 28:19).Haste distorts judgment: it narrows perspective and shortens timing, ruining the greater potential of a long-term plan (Pr 6:6-8; 12:11; 13:4,23; 14:4; 30:25). Second, it suggests temptations that destroy greedy men (Pr 14:15; 15:27; 22:3; 28:21; I Tim 6:6-10). Third, it brings natural and divine judgment (Pr 20:21; 23:4-5; Eccl 5:13; Luke 12:15-21).Grasp the lesson. Some greedy persons buy lottery tickets or gamble in casinos. Both are guaranteed confiscation leading to financial ruin. The only winner is the state or casino. They may even think they will quit as soon as they hit the jackpot. But the money lost came out of savings, which forfeits future investments. The delusion of “winners” makes it addictive. They hate their real job and paycheck. These are foolish wasters (Pr 18:9).These fools cannot see that lotteries are a device to tax the poor, who have no income or assets to tax (or smarts to know they are being taxed). The longest lines for lottery tickets are always in the poorest areas. The governmental unit gets these poor to voluntarily pay extra taxes out of their meager means by regularly hyping the amount in the jackpot. What is the bottom line, every time? The state wins, and the poor get poorer, every time.Casinos appeal to the more sophisticated, who also have more money to be confiscated. Las Vegas and Macau have lots of glitter, posh rooms, live entertainment, food buffets, and free drinks to loosen your purse. Based on carefully calculated statistics, the house allows winning often enough to keep you playing until they take everything you had.Consider another example. A man wanting to get ahead quickly decides he cannot afford to give money to the Lord. He reasons that he will be a big giver once he is financially comfortable. By stealing from God, he activates divine laws that will reduce him to poverty, no matter how hard and smart he works (Pr 11:24; Hag 1:5-10; Mal 3:8-12).Another man lets his medical insurance policy lapse. After all, he has had no claims on it in three years. He puts the premium money to work in several network marketing ideas. Having violated a law of prudence by exposing himself unnecessarily to risk, he is bankrupt the next year due to his wife’s emergency mastectomy (Pr 6:1-5; 27:12-13).