Today’s Personal Finance Bible Scripture comes from Proverbs 21:17.
17 Those who love pleasure become poor;
those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.Proverbs 21:17 (NLT)
Think the Bible doesn’t have relevant financial advice? Consider that verse one more time. Personal finance experts generally agree that avoiding hard work and buying things you can’t really afford will never lead to financial success. (And by afford I mean that you can still cover all your necessary expenses and save for all of your goals after purchasing your luxury item.) Even though this little bit of wisdom seems like it should be common sense, God wanted to emphasize it in Proverbs as well. I’m guessing it must be pretty important! 
It’s not that God doesn’t want us to have any enjoyment in this life. You really have to look closer at what that verse says. If you love pleasure and luxury, you’re probably not putting God first in your life. As I’ve discussed many times before, God wants your heart and if your heart belongs to something else then you can’t serve Him. It’s fine to enjoy the good things in life, but make sure you have a wise (God’s) definition of the “good” things in life and make sure you put God above all else. That’s the only way you can truly be rich.
Paul Williams is a fee-only financial planner in Lancaster County, PA. He has a passion for teaching others about personal finance - especially from a Christian perspective. If you'd like to learn about his financial planning and tax preparation services, click here. If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in:
- Personal Finance in the Bible: Proverbs 21:20
- Personal Finance in the Bible: Proverbs 19:20
- Personal Finance in the Bible: Proverbs 30:8-9
- Personal Finance Bible Study: Contentment (Part 11 of 12) – The Results
- Personal Finance Bible Study: Contentment (Part 10 of 12) – Practical Applications
