Bruce Puckett

A Wise Words Allegory on Money Management

From Bruce Puckett
Software Engineer, Former Navigators EDGE Corps Staff

A young ruler, desiring to understand the way of riches, sought the counsel of a wise man in his kingdom. The wise man answered him, "There are six things that lead to increasing wealth, yes, even seven that bring great riches without sorrow: Honoring God with your wealth, living below your means, understanding needs and wants, saving rather than borrowing, growing wealth patiently and carefully, increasing your understanding and earnings, and choosing the Lord as your portion and your cup."

Honoring God with your wealth

On the journey back, the young prince pondered the wise man's advice. "What do you think it means to honor God with your wealth?" he asked his aged servant as they rode along. "Is it merely giving to His temple?"

"I think it is that and more, my lord. To honor the Lord with your wealth is to joyfully give back to Him a portion of all that with which He has blessed you. It is using your wealth to promote justice, mercy, and faith among His peoples, for in these things He delights. When you use your wealth in ways that God Himself would, then you are honoring God with your wealth. And my lord surely sees how this increases wealth; have you not heard the proverb: 'He who sows sparingly, reaps sparingly; he who sows generously, reaps generously.'"

"Well said!" cried the prince. "Indeed, I have heard the proverb, and I remember too the words of God—that He has promised to throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out blessings without measure when we honor Him with our wealth." And the young prince continued to reflect on the words of the wise man.

"Honor God with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine" Proverbs 3:9,10.

Living below your means

That night the prince and his company took board at an inn not far from the city. The prince enquired of the inn-keeper, "What lodging have you, sir, and at what fare?"

"My lord," the inn-keeper answered, "my inn is large and spacious; I house many a traveler to and from the city. I have small rooms for peasants—clean, serviceable, but bare; I have good rooms for the merchants—they find no lack; and I have spacious, sumptuous rooms—fit for any king."

The prince's frown grew into a broad smile as the inn-keeper continued his description, talking of dark woods, ivory, lace, and gold. As the prince called for his purse, his aged servant gently touched his elbow.

"My lord," he said softly, "remember the wise man's second saying: To increase wealth, you must live below your means."

The young man paused and weighed his purse. "Yes, to increase wealth, I must pay out less than I take in. I left with a full purse, and now, turning homeward, it is half the weight. I cannot hope to increase wealth if I return home with my purse empty." He turned to the inn-keeper, "Good sir, a good room, please."

"One man pretends to be rich but has nothing; another pretends to be poor but has great wealth" Proverbs 13:7.

Time for a check-up

Evaluate your financieal behaviours against the wise man's seven principles:

• Does your spending reflect God’s values?
• Do you live on credit?
• Do you balance needs and wants?
• Do you owe anyone money?
• Do you take the time to learn about the things you might invest in?
• Do you desire a good relationship with God more than a good relationship with money?

An EXCELent idea

Bruce Puckett developed a budgeting spreadsheet to help you determine if your spending is in balance. Download and fill out the chart following the directions provided.

Understanding needs and wants

As they journeyed home, the prince's company came upon a traveling caravan, stopped by an oasis for water. "My lord," the caravan owner said, "Come, see my wares. I have gold from Havilah, and the finest pearls of the Orient. Look—proud stallions from Arabia—and chariots to match. Over here! Emeralds and gemstones from the far North." The trader clapped his hands; "Girls!" he cried. Captivated, the young prince watched with delight as the owner's beautiful daughters brought out silks, perfumes, spices, choice fruits and wines . . . an endless barrage. "Buy this!" "And this!" "Now this is just what a young king needs."

The prince turned to his servant and whispered, "Ha! Their very words remind me: To increase wealth, I must understand the difference between wants and needs, for the eye never has enough of seeing."

"Well spoken, my lord," the servant said. "The disciple is becoming like his teacher. What more can I say? My lord should do what is right in his eyes."

The young prince ran his hand longingly down the side of the chariot. "Indeed; I have not seen finer in all my travels. And your horses—superb! Who would not desire them? When I compare them to my own I . . . Hey now! What here? My faithful steed looks ready to throw his shoe. And now I see that he has grown thin during our long travels. What of our supplies?"

The aged servant answered, "See here our provisions, my lord. Our bread has grown stale and the feed bags light."

The prince turned to the caravan owner. "Your wares are without equal, sir, but today I require bread and feed, and a farrier for my horse. Unless you have these, I must bid you good-day."

"The one who loves pleasure will become a poor man; whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich" Proverbs 21:17.

Saving rather than borrowing

One night at the fireside, the young prince called for a story. His aged servant answered, "I will tell you a fable from my youth and illustrate the wise man's fourth saying: it is better to save than borrow.

"In a town lived two women with rooms to rent. One woman was wise, the other foolish. Debt and Credit came to town, needing lodging. The foolish woman would have them both, but Credit said, 'I will not live in the same house as Debt' and off she went to the wise woman's house. In time the foolish woman and Debt became fast friends, and Debt often counseled her, 'Borrow from the bankers. Why do without today?' The foolish landlady heeded Debt's advice. She lived well at first, but the bankers always siphoned off her profits for their interest. And when calamity befell her, she had no savings, and her creditors seized all she had.

"Many years later, Wealth came to town, needing lodging. He found the foolish woman's house closed, but luxurious lodging down the street. 'I have been expecting you,' the wise landlady said. 'Years ago Credit lodged with me and told me to expect you if I followed her advice. So I set aside a small portion from my earnings, and put each coin to work at the bank. Each coin was my servant; they worked for me day and night. My coin gave birth to silver, and my silver gave birth to gold. And so they have labored for me to provide all that you see.' And Wealth was so delighted with the landlady and her lodgings, that he never left her house."

"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender" Proverbs 22:7.

Growing wealth patiently and carefully

When the prince returned from his journeys, his father gave him charge over a province and its administration. Not long afterwards, the prince's court was visited by his younger brother. The young man, eager for wealth, proposed this risky venture: "Listen, I have pressed Father for my inheritance early, and I am building a great fleet of ships that shall travel to the far Orient, returning with cargos of gold and silver, ivory and pearl. Will you cast your lot with me?"

The prince considered his offer and gave this answer: "A wise man once told me, 'Wealth should be grown carefully and patiently.' Be careful, brother, for the desire to grow rich quickly is a concealed trap, but the one who is content to grow wealth slowly will escape it. Laziness and jealousy drive a man to pursue wealth recklessly; better is one handful of a sure profit than two handfuls of a risky venture promising great gain. Besides, are you not the son of the king? Do you not eat at his table? Be content, because he has promised to never forsake you."

His younger brother, however, would not listen. The prince watched from afar as his brother built his fleet and encouraged other young nobles to join with him in the venture. At first they met with good success, but mistaking good fortune for their own wisdom, they risked ever more in an effort to garner greater gains. When disaster struck, the fleet was lost and many of its financers were ruined. The prince pondered this and understood: Great reward only comes at great risk, and great losses are not easily overcome.

"A faithful man will have many blessings, but one in a hurry to get rich will not go unpunished" Proverbs 28:20.

Increasing your understanding and earnings

Because the king's realm was vast, he set the prince and his brothers over it, giving them authority to rule as they pleased. The prince remembered the wise man's words: "To increase wealth, you must increase your understanding and earnings." So the prince was diligent and set his heart to gaining knowledge and understanding, to promoting the well-being of his people. The prince studied law so that he could judge equitably and enact fair statutes. He studied architecture and engineering so that he could oversee the building of palaces, roads, stadiums, and aqueducts. He studied commerce and engaged in trade, bringing in goods from far away lands. The prince pioneered new ways of farming and mining, and he examined the natural world, uncovering the mysteries of the plants and animals in his land. He studied literature and art, commissioning wondrous sculptures, compositions, paintings and stories.

In all these things and more, the prince diligently pursued understanding, for he understood that there is profit in all hard work. And so the prince found joy in the labors that God gave him, and he was blessed by their fruit. Because his rule was characterized by honesty and fairness, he and his people grew prosperous and were at peace.

Many years later the king called the prince and all his brothers together and had them give an account of their stewardship. Among all his brothers, the prince had no equal, and so the king exalted him over them and gave him charge of the land.

"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of unknown men" Proverbs 22:29.

Choosing the Lord as your portion

Because of the prince's wisdom and faithfulness, eventually his father entrusted the land to him, making him king. The new king's rule was characterized by honesty and fairness, and the people prospered under him. The king's own household was blessed, for he had many sons and daughters.

Many years later, when the king was aged, his young son approached him, desiring to know the way of riches. The wise king answered him saying, "Wealth is increased through wisdom, but true blessing is found in God alone. Consider this fable, my son: A weary traveler in a lonely land stumbled upon a marvelous house. Its owner invited him in and set a magical feast before him. 'Are you thirsty? Come and drink. Are you hungry? Eat and be filled. Choose your feast; each brings its own blessing.' Marveling, the traveler considered the sumptuous feast before him. One portion brought great riches, another deep understanding. Delicacies of fame, power and longevity, artistic inspiration, athletic prowess . . . these and many more . . . all the desires of man, spread before him. The traveler paused before a humble loaf and small cup. 'What are these?' he enquired. The owner replied, 'This is the bread of life, broken for you; this, the water of life, raised for you.' The traveler marveled at the bread and the water, for he saw that all the other feasts were consumed and perished in time; but the bread never ceased to multiply, and the water became a spring, ever welling up. The traveler said: 'I choose this as my portion and my cup; no other good thing compares to them.' The owner of the house replied, 'Well chosen; take your portion and go in peace.' So consider the fable, my son, and chose well."

"The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it" Proverbs 10:22.