BEWARE OF WEALTH AND HONOUR!

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

JUNE 21, 2023

TOPIC: BEWARE OF WEALTH AND HONOUR!

 BY T. O. BANSO

“Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:12 New King James Version).

Wealth and honour are good but they could be dangerous if one does not relate to them well. Whereas many people desire wealth and honour, believing that they will make their lives better, but they have also led to the downfall of others because of the wrong attitude to them. In other words, after some time, wealth and honour didn’t help them but harmed them.

If a man does not have the right attitude to wealth (riches) and honour, he will go astray. The Bible says about Jehoshaphat, king of Judah: “And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken. Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah” (2 Chronicles 17:2-6 New King James Version).

But after all these good deeds, Jehoshaphat went into a wrong relationship with Ahab, king of Israel. “Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage’” (2 Chronicles 18:1 New International Version). It seems to me that this scripture shows a connection between the great wealth and honour of Jehoshaphat, a good king, and his wrong marriage alliance with Ahab, an evil king. Some years later, Jehoshaphat nearly died in the battle in which Ahab had disguised himself to the battle, making the Syrians almost kill Jehoshaphat whom they mistook for Ahab (2 Chronicles 18:2-33). God, through Jehu the son of Hanani the seer, rebuked Jehoshaphat for helping Ahab and pronounced the wrath of God on him (Jehoshaphat) (2 Chronicles 19:1-3).

Riches and honour come from God (Ecclesiastes 6:2). 1 Chronicles 29:12 says, “Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all” (New King James Version). God gives people the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). God has promised the house of the upright wealth and honour (Psalm 112:3). But wealth and honour could make someone proud if one does not cultivate the right attitude toward them.

Because some people are wealthy, they look down on others. They think everything is about money or possessions. Unlike Job, they put their trust in gold and make pure gold their security (Job 31:24). They don’t make God their strength but trust in the abundance of their riches (Psalm 52:7a). Proverbs 11:28 warns, “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage” (New King James Version). Don’t trust in riches. Riches can disappear; they make themselves wings and fly away like an eagle toward heaven (Proverbs 23:5b).  

Also, some people become proud because of the honour people give them. They don’t know how to respond to honour with humility. They erroneously think that the honour people give to them means that they are indispensable or the best thing that has ever happened. They have inflated egos. Be careful you don’t become proud or go into error because of wealth and honour. “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: they will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5 New International Version).

Psalm  62:10b warns: “If your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life”(New Living Translation). Don’t put your trust in your riches. Paul told Timothy, “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17 New Living Translation).

Pride, along with other sins, proceeds from the heart (Mark 7:21-22). Therefore, search your heart and repent today. “Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 GOD’S WORD Translation).

Honour is good but if you want people to continue to honour you remain humble. You cannot retain honour through pride. Proverbs 29:23 says, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor” (New King James Version). Some people used to be honoured but when this went to their head, they began to behave rudely to others. Consequently, they started experiencing dishonour. Honour is reciprocal. Pride or arrogance will bring someone down but the humble will be honoured or respected. “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 18:12 New International Version). Proverbs 15:33b also says before honour is humility. Don’t let wealth and honour bring you down.

1 Chronicles 29:28a says about David, “He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor” (New International Version). Note that David enjoyed wealth and honour along with long life. Not everybody enjoys these three things. I pray that you will enjoy a long life, wealth, and honour. But I also pray that wealth and honour will not destroy you. The reason some people are not born again is because of earthly wealth and men’s honour. But nobody takes these with him when he dies. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26 New King James Version). Mark 8:36-37 says a similar thing.

Beware of wealth and honour! In Proverbs 30:8b, Agur asked God to give him neither poverty nor riches! “Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God” (verse 9 New International Version).

Jesus told His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24 New King James Version).

Do not pursue earthly wealth and men’s honour and lose your soul. Give your life to Jesus today. And if you are a Christian have the right attitude to wealth and honour. Don’t put your trust in them or become proud because of them. Let your focus be glorifying God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Honour the Lord with your wealth (Proverbs 3:9a). No matter the wealth and honour God gives you, humble yourself before Him (1 Peter 5:6; James 4:10). Don’t be proud because people honour you.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to have the right attitude to wealth and honour. Deliver me from the error that the wrong attitude to wealth and honour can lead me to. Father, bless me with long life, wealth, and honour.

(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
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Website: www.cedarministry.org