“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” Proverbs 15:16,17

Oh, how we need God’s perspective on things! How easily we place such value on the wealth we can accumulate or the comforts and pleasures that money can buy! It is not that wealth is inherently evil or that poverty is inherently righteous. But, God’s word gives us a system of valuation that we need to incorporate into our thinking.

The all-wise God tells us it would be better to have very little in this world’s goods and fear God, than to be rich and not fear Him. It would be better to live on vegetable soup and yet have a home full of holy love, than to eat steak several times a week, have nice cars and the best vacations…and yet strife and hatred rule the roost.

It is not so much a question of how much or little God has blessed you with. It is a question of, “What does my heart value and pursue?” Is growing in a humble, reverent, obedient and joyful fear of God important to you? Are you diligently pursuing a life of love for God and others? These virtues are of great, great value to God. Whether we are poor or rich, may we think more and more as our wise heavenly Father thinks.