Ill-Gotten Gain
Good Morning,
Proverbs 13:11 “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.”
There it is – a statement from God regarding wealth that was gained in a vain manor – it shall be diminished. The Bible is full of so many simple principles. If we would read our Bible and trust It, we would be a much wiser society. Instead, our generation seeks out wealth – wealth that was not earned, but taken from those who labored for it or perhaps gained by chance. God makes this principle clear: when you gather by labor, you will increase.
It was Judas who repented of the decision he had made for quick easy money, and he brought back his thirty pieces of silver. Judas knew he betrayed an innocent man, and it broke him to the point of suicide. Judas will spend eternity regretting many things, but one of those will be the deceitfulness of riches.
Mark 4:19 “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”
Judas hated those silver pieces because they revealed the sorry kind of man he was. When a person works, plans, and reaps gain, he can look at his past with pride, knowing that he achieved something through wisdom or simple, hard work. This method of gain brings a pride not a shame.
The poison of ill-gotten gain will ruin marriages, children, and friendships, and leave one person feeling very much isolated and filled with emotions of failure. Greed will spoil the heart and make it impossible to love and to truly care for others. Paul wrote that we should not steal, but that we should labor in order that we might have prosperity to give. The lesson was not to seek gain, but rather to seek an opportunity to serve another.
Proverbs 23:4 “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.”
The foolish idea that accumulating great amounts of money will make one happy has been proven endlessly false, yet men still seek wealth, believing it will answer the problems of life. Certainly money is a great friend and a wonderful tool, but when one seeks wealth, it warps the vision, it perverts the morals, and it twists the soul – soon wealth becomes the master!
Pastor