The wine is a-bursting!

“then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
-Proverbs 3:10

We’re going to need to tread carefully here, since the relationship between Christianity and money is one of the most easily misunderstood and most wrongly-taught doctrines in Christendom. On the one side, we have the Prosperity Gospel, which teaches us that if we have faith, or if we pray a certain prayer, or if we claim something in God’s name, we will be rich beyond belief, because Jesus died so we can have a nice job (literally, I heard a very famous preacher say that once).

On the other side, we have people who say that God hates rich people, and if you’re not scrounging for every meal, you’re going to hell. They believe poverty is closest to godliness, and if you want to be saved, you can’t have any worldly possessions.

And both sides have passages taken out of context to support their cause.

There are rich saints in the Bible. These include Abraham, Job, David, and Joseph of Arimathea. There are poor saints in the Bible. These include Paul, Job (again), and Peter. Jesus Himself would fall into the latter group. In neither group do we have a tremendous lack of faith. It is not a lack of faith that makes you either poor or rich.

There are warnings in the Bible to be careful with riches. Why? Because it is so easy to be drawn away from a devout life when you have a lot. These warnings are similar to the warnings Paul gives against marriage, because a wife or husband can be a distraction from the Christian life. Of course, he also warns against singlehood for those whose desires would make celibacy difficult. A warning to be careful in certain situations does not mean the situation is sinful. It only means that every situation of life has dangers to sin. A rich man may begin relying on his wealth rather than on God. A poor man may start blaming God because he doesn’t have enough to eat.

What this verse is talking about is stewardship. If you look at the previous verse, it is speaking about being generous in your giving. Give of what you have. Give in joy. Do not fear to give so generously, for it is God that provides your food for you, not yourself. He will take care of you; He will keep your barns and vats filled. And He will continue to take care of you, even after this life is done.

God not only provides your money, food, and clothing, but also provides a way to eternal life. In our sin we have fallen short of God’s glory, but the Father’s Son, Jesus, came to earth in the form of a man to die for our sins. If we repent and believe in Him, we will be rescued from our sins and live, even after we die.

It is not a promise of money. Frankly, money is a little too temporary for me to spend so much effort teaching it. I’m much more interested in things that are more eternal. It’s also not a call to sell your home and move out into the street. God may be calling you to either riches or poverty, I don’t know, but in either case, the call to life is worth it. This life is but a brief period of time; use it to make sure your forever is secure, not your pocketbook.