The Real Pay Day

"A rich man's wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin. The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin" (Proverbs 10:15-16).

If you are like me, you look forward to pay day. For most workers, pay day comes twice a month. Those two days of the month can be pretty awesome when there are a stack of bills sitting on their kitchen desk.

Proverbs repeatedly teaches that money is not to be trusted in. Wealth is so fickle, a person would be foolish to esteem money over honor. The Scripture teaches us that life can be lived well and enjoyed deeply whether or not we have a big bank account.

Today's passage teaches us that a person's wealth, while not to be trusted in, can serve as a strong protection (like ancient city walls) against any number of disasters. This is why the poor are often times vulnerable to disaster. They do not have the resources to deal with life's unfortunate events. Poverty is a world wide problem that continues to suppress the feeble, weak, and helpless among us. This is the main reason God commands us to help the poor.

Having reinforced this truth, our passage takes things to a new level by telling us of a natural wage or "return" that comes as a result of godly living. That "return" is life itself. While we naturally look forward to our two "money" pay days a month, the real pay day comes in the form of life to the full. This was Jesus' claim about Himself when He said, "The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). While godly living pays positive dividends in life, sin pays negative dividends. The wicked experience "poverty" of soul.

While you look forward to your "money" pay days that help you deal with life's certain disasters, don't forget that the real pay day comes from godly living. The real gains are experienced in real and abundant life!