Saving For A Rainy Day
March 16, 2023
Solomon - “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (Proverbs 21:20 LB)
DAILY DEVOTION
If we’re going to live the good life, it means we must be actively saving money for emergencies and for the future. It’s been reported that the European and Japanese populations save a good deal of their income while Americans typically spend more than they earn. Why is that? Are Europeans and Japanese citizens that much wiser than those of us who are American citizens? Maybe in this instance, they are. We should all at least be wiser than animals and insects, right? Maybe so and maybe not. We learn from the book of Proverbs that “Ants know how to store up food in the summer so they’re ready for the winter.” (Proverbs 6:8) If an ant-sized brain can figure out how to save, then maybe there’s hope for us as well.
Saving for emergencies and for the future is good and wise, but if we’re not careful it can grow into greed. Greed is the wrong reason for saving money. Some people are so greedy that they never want to give to God or to anyone. They hold on to everything so tightly that they actually turn into hoarders. Solomon writes, “There is a serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, or they are put into risky investments that turn sour and everything is lost.” (Ecclesiastes 5:13-14). In Proverbs, Solomon also writes, “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.” In other words, some people trust in their wealth or their property to provide them a secure future.
Jesus told this sad story of the rich fool in Luke 12 - “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What shall I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘My friend, you have stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:16-21) Wise planning is not trusting in money alone to protect us from life’s adversities, but saving and trusting in God to provide for our needs.
Comedian George Burns once said, “People tell me I should save for a rainy day. But with my luck, it will never rain and I’ll be stuck with all that money.” That is funny, but the truth is, in most lives some rain does fall. It does help to be ready with our savings when that happens.
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY
In your journal or on a piece of paper, write the answer to the following question: In what ways could I adjust my lifestyle so I could put a greater percentage of my money into savings and investments? If you’re leading your family through this devotion, ask them the same question and then discuss what you could adjust as a family.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, thank You for your blessings in my life. Help me learn how to save from what You have blessed me with for emergencies and for my future. Even so, help me continue to trust in You for all I need.