Be sure you know the conditions of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. (Proverbs 27:23-24)
I am trained as an accountant. Through my financial career I was paid to give careful attention to the state of client's assets and income. Our job was to help them protect and grow their wealth. In the firm I worked for were business consultants, tax advisers and auditors. There were also insolvency experts - people who wound up companies in financial distress and led individuals through the travails of bankruptcy. Their very presence, not to mention lucrative business, is testimony to the fact that riches do not endure forever.
My confession is that as with doctors who do not take care of their physical state, I have been guilty of being an accountant who paid too little attention to our family's financial affairs. There was/is always more important things to do. Such focus requires discipline that I do not always have. But Proverbs gives multiple warnings, father to son, to be focused, diligent and disciplined in protecting that which God has given us. John Wesley's adage on such matters was, 'Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.'
Thank you Lord for what you have blessed me and my family with, including the incredible opportunities we have living in this abundant country. Help me to live out of a sense of gratitude as I protect and grow what you have given us for your glory.
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