Today’s Scripture Reading (December 31, 2025): Proverbs 16
Wisdom is better than
gold. Do you believe that? I am confident that, if given that choice, we would
choose the gold. Or maybe I can rephrase the Proverb. Gaining wisdom is
preferable to winning a lottery, even one with a billion-dollar prize. Does
that come a little closer to impacting the place where you live? I won’t ask
how many lottery tickets you have purchased for the next lottery or for a
recent draw that you have not yet checked. But you have dreams. If I could just
win the lottery, then everything would be okay. You have plans. Perhaps it is
the house you want to buy, or that new Corvette (the latest Corvette is my lottery
dream). Or maybe it is just to retire early and travel the world, spending the
cold winter months somewhere warm. I have a friend who retired during the winter
months, and the first thing he did was to leave for a month in Puerto Vallarta.
When it is minus thirty or worse at home, Mexico sounds like a good idea.
So, is wisdom better than
winning the lottery? Really? Here is where the rubber hits the road. Do you
spend more of your time trying to become a person of wisdom than you do making
money or even buying and checking lottery tickets? And I am guessing if you are
honest with yourself, the answer is no.
Many years ago, I was
challenged to memorize at least one verse of Scripture for every year I have
lived. It isn’t a big ask. One verse for every year that you lived. As
Christians, we say that we base life decisions and the choices we make on
Scripture, yet I wonder whether we have memorized one verse for every decade we
have lived, let alone one verse for every year. How is that possible? How can
we make wise decisions if we don’t know the book upon which our wisdom is
based?
I am convinced that wisdom
is the basis for life. And it is the basis for our relationship with money.
That is part of the reason why I believe that the tithe seems to be important
to God. The tithe stresses that money is a tool. We give to the church because
trusting God and doing what he says is the beginning of wisdom. And we can’t
handle money unless we have wisdom.
In 2005, a Television
network (Showtime) conducted a social experiment. The idea was “what would
happen if a homeless person were given a million dollars?” What would the
person do with that kind of money? Would the money have a long-term effect on
the person's life? Cue someone singing the Barenaked Ladies hit, ‘If I had a
million dollars.”
They pitched the idea and
received some resistance. A million dollars is substantial. In the negotiation,
the idea for the documentary was approved, but the amount they were going to
give the homeless person was reduced to $100,000.
A briefcase with $100,000
was given to Ted Rodrigue. It took a little convincing. Ted was afraid that the
whole thing was a setup. That somehow it might be illegal; that his new friends
were trying to trap him. Eventually, he accepted the money on the condition
that a camera crew follow him and document what happened to the money.
At the time that Rodrigue
received the 100k, he was 45 years old and had been homeless for two decades,
surviving on around $20 a day by collecting cans and bottles. Ted was given a
financial advisor but was told that he was totally in control of what he did
with the money.
After starting slowly,
treating himself to a new bike and a room at a motel, Ted's spending quickly
spiraled out of control as he began spending lavishly and ignoring his
financial advisor's advice. After helping some of his homeless friends, Ted
became increasingly popular with women (including one whom he would briefly
marry), but soon grew resentful of the unwanted attention.
Next, he found himself reconnecting
with his estranged family, who appeared genuinely willing to help him. His
sisters even made phone calls on his behalf to help him find work in something
he liked, such as construction.
Ted, however, didn't appreciate their
efforts; he didn’t like their attempts to meddle in his life, as he saw it. He dismissed
their concern and even refused to continue meeting with his financial advisor,
believing that he merely wanted his money like most others.
Ted eventually revealed that he had
no intention of finding work, believing that the $100,000 would last him for
the rest of his life, and began spending even more lavishly, including $34,000
on a new truck and leasing a luxury apartment.
In no time at all, the money was
gone, and Ted was right back where he started. He had blown through the entire
amount in just over 6 months and was once again homeless. Rodrigue commented, “You
never think ... 'the money's going to run out sooner or later.'"
It isn’t just Ted that struggled with
money. Studies have shown that Lottery winners often go broke within 3-5 years.
Several years ago, I was counselling a couple, and we got on the subject of
money and big-ticket items. Somehow, we got on the topic of retirement and
retirement plans. Then the male in the conversation admitted that he had been
raised in a household that spent every penny that came in. But Mom and Dad had
a retirement plan. They had good jobs and paid $100 per week on Lottery
Tickets. They planned to retire as soon as they won the big jackpot. I hope
that it happens, but chances are it won’t. And Mom and Dad might not have the
wisdom to handle the money if their ship does eventually come in.
Tomorrow’s
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 17
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