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DEVOTION

PROVERBS

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Prov 21:20

20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.

NIV

At first we might be tempted to see this as the one scriptural basis for storing up wealth as a wise thing while not storing it up as foolish. Our scholars of old have enough of the good things of life, they want to embrace the idea of this storing up of material things for future needs. They say we should live modestly in an old house keeping the safe full of funds, rather than buying a big house and not being able to maintain it. However we know that simply is not the case because of so many scriptures telling us not to store up wealth, not to put our trust in money, but to put our trust in God. Sure there is something to be said about being a good steward of what God has given us. But God has told us he will freely supply all our needs according to his riches in heaven, so then why would we have to be a good steward and store up what he will freely keep on giving? The idea is not just his suppling our material needs, but he freely gives his wisdom, his divine influence, his insights in to the truth. We certainly would not want to store that up, but rather give it away to as many as possible. There is a higher meaning to this proverb. The story of the ten virgins and their lamps, five who had extra oil and the five who did not tell us about the truth of this saying. It is the wise person who stores up that which is to be desired most, the wisdom of God. We should be ready to store up the divine influence of God upon our lives so to be ready to do his calling. The foolish person simply devours his own desires, having nothing of the wisdom of God and is not ready for the calling, as were the five virgins whose lamps were going out because they were not ready when the bridegroom called. All their oil was devoured. But we have enough of the oil of God stored up in our hearts so we are ready when the call comes. We have the greatest treasure, the pearl of great value stored in our hearts, Jesus. Because of him, we are ready.