Pro 16:8  Better is a little with righteousness, Than vast revenues without justice.
Pro 16:9  A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

Some read this and conclude that God wants us to have little rather than more. That in order to be a good Christian, we must be poor and not seek wealth. But that is not at all what this says.

Mat 19:21  Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Mat 19:23  Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Here, Jesus is telling us that it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven…not impossible.

Going back to proverbs, there is a comparison being made, not an absolute. It is not one or the other. One can be righteous, have vast revenues, and be just. The problem is, the journey to wealth contains many sinful temptations. I would suggest that many settle for what they have because they not only believe God wants them to be poor, but perhaps they do not have the spiritual strength to withstand the temptations. And…that is perfectly fine. Everyone has their gifts from God, and not all were meant to carry the burden of wealth.

The differentiator is that when we’re walking with Jesus, and He’s directing our steps, our new heart plans what He wants for us.

In Matthew, Jesus was speaking to this young man, a man who valued his possessions. This is a warning for us. If we seek wealth, which should be used for the Kingdom, the furthering of the Gospel, we are easily distracted by the physical things of the world and not storing up our riches in heaven. This young man went away with sorrow. He was not willing to lose his possessions in order to get to heaven.

I am reminded of this story at the bible camp we support. The family that purchased the land with the intent to build a bible camp was talking. The husband told his wife which part of the property should be used for the camp and which part they would live on. His wife replied, but that’s the best part of the land with the view of the lake. He said, Yep, we’re to give our best to God, not our leftovers. Now, I don’t know the fullness of that story or conversation; it’s just an example of what is being said here.

These people were not of a poor mindset. They did what they needed to create enough revenue to buy the acres of land, and in pointing to the righteousness of Jesus, they had a plan for that land, to turn it into a bible camp that glorified God. They planned it with their heart and allowed the Lord to direct their steps in faith, faith that He would make it happen if they gave Him the best.

I have struggled with a poor mindset. I am not the best person to preach on finances or wealth. I am not the example to be looking at. All I can do is read the Word of God and share what it says, hoping to make sense of it. The bible is full of lessons on wealth and how the believer is to manage what God has given them, knowing He’s looking for a return on the investment in what He has entrusted you with.