By Dave Saviola, Arborbrook Financial
“Easy come, easy go, but steady diligence pays off.” Another way of saying this is “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, but he that gathers by labor shall increase.”
Don’t care for those editions? How about “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” Or “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappear; wealth from hard work grows over time.”
These phrases, for the most part, of course, are synonymous with each other, but they sure are counterculture in today’s world. Our airwaves—I mean our internet bytes—are chock-full of advice on how to grow your net worth exponentially overnight. The concept of working for something over long periods of time grows more and more difficult for many of us.
I could speculate as to why this is so hard for so many, and perhaps we could say “back in the day” it wasn’t like this. However, that doesn’t seem to be true since the original author of this wise advice penned these words around 3,000 years ago (give or take). Perhaps even more impressive, God himself imparted this wisdom to a man who was declared to be the “wisest there was and ever will be!”
With that resume in mind, I would say this is solid guidance we can take to the bank. We should be absolutely confident that an opportunity in front of us to gain wealth in an “easy,” “vain,” “hastily” or “dishonest” way will not last. The beauty of this truth is this: Our heavenly Father is telling us is there is a reward far greater than any double- or triple-digit rate of return here. Hope is the assurance of things not yet seen, and Jesus has delivered 100% on all His promises. If we apply this lens of love in decisions we have to make with our resources, then we will indeed run the long race well, and the prize over the finish line will be greater than we can ask or imagine.
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