WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
AUGUST 03, 2026
TOPIC: IT IS NOT SAFE NOT TO SAVE
BY T. O. BANSO
“The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets” (Proverbs 21:20 Living Bible).
If you’re not saved, you are not safe. Also, it is not safe not to save. The two statements address two different aspects of your life. The first one addresses your salvation. You must be born again. In other words, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour for you to have eternal life. This is the most important decision you will ever make. It is not negotiable.
The second statement—it is not safe not to save—addresses your finances. It is one thing to be born again and another thing to practise the principles that will give you financial security. One of these principles is disciplining yourself to save. There are other principles, such as honouring God with your money, investing in God’s Kingdom, giving to others, and investing your money for good returns.
Being born again does not automatically free you from the financial challenges that everybody faces. You must learn how to save for a rainy day. Some people erroneously think that praying will substitute for saving. That’s not true. Praying is not enough. You must pray, but you must also save. You need to plan your finances and budget your spending so that you can save from your income. Instead of continuing to pray for a windfall, save from what you earn now, even if it is small. Prayer will work better for those who save! Those who practise both will live a more meaningful life than those who only pray but don’t save.
Saving does not mean you should deny yourself your present needs. Meet your present needs rather than unhealthy desires; save for your future needs, too. Save for the future, but don’t lay up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal (Matthew 6:19).
Saving is biblical. It doesn’t mean a lack of faith in God. It means being a good steward of what God has given you. In the book of Genesis, Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh on a saving scheme, which Joseph was appointed to implement, saved the world from the seven years of famine (Genesis 41:33-36, 47-49, 55-57). If Pharaoh had not accepted Joseph’s wise counsel to store up food during the seven years of abundance, many people would have died of hunger. Saving will help you meet your future needs and provide a cushion for you in times of financial hardship or emergency.
In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul tells the Corinthians to save what they will give to God: “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come” (New King James Version). You should not only save for your offering but also save for your future needs.
Some people are saved, but don’t save! That is not safe. It doesn’t show wise management of the resources that God has given them. “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets” (Proverbs 21:20 Living Bible). Don’t act foolishly by wasting your money and then resorting to prayer for a financial miracle! The New King James Version puts Proverbs 21:20 this way: “There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it.”
At whatever level you are, discipline yourself to save. Don’t spend all the money you earn. Stop overspending. Save, no matter how little your income is, and gradually your savings will grow. Some people postpone saving until they start earning a high income! But they may never save even if their income becomes ten times what it is now, unless they discipline themselves to save now.
It takes discipline to save. To save, you must learn to spend less. You don’t have to buy everything you see. Buy only what you need and can afford. Sometimes, it is wiser and cheaper to rent an item instead of buying it.
For some people, more income means more spending, because they have not developed financial discipline—they never save. Those who don’t save live only for today, but those who save live for today and tomorrow. Avoid impulsive and compulsive purchases. Your needs are few, but your wants are many. Some people go into debt to acquire what they want, not what they need. If you’re currently in debt, have a plan to get out of debt and follow through. Psalm 37:21a says the wicked borrow and never repay. Proverbs 3:27-28 says, “Don’t withhold repayment of your debts. Don’t say ‘some other time,’ if you can pay now” (Living Bible).
Be faithful in what you have, even if it is little. Manage what you have well and then save. Then, God will bless you with more. Luke 16:11 says, “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (New King James Version). God tests us with little to see how faithful we are. Matthew 25:23 says, “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord’” (New King James Version).
It is not safe not to save. You may have a surplus today; don’t squander it. God gave you this because of the needs He already knows you will have in the future. Don’t be wasteful like the prodigal son. After he had spent all he had, there arose a severe famine in the far country he went to, and he began to be in want (Luke 15:14). When he was wasting his money, he didn’t know that there would be a severe famine. Save. It is not safe not to save.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please 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 heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising 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 invite Jesus 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 must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church 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: Father, forgive me for my wastefulness in the past. I receive help from You to pay my debts. From now on, I will practise financial discipline and spend less so that I can save. I will no longer make unplanned purchases or take on new, unnecessary debt. Father, please deliver those who are trapped in debt and help them learn financial discipline.
(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.
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