August 29

Written by Bill Grandi on August 29th, 2019

My title for this devotion is Poor vs Rich.

We live in a day and age when wealth is king. Actually, I guess it has always been that way. The saying is “The rich get richer; the poor get poorer.” And I suspect in most circles, and in most people’s way of thinking, that is true.

But there is something much greater than being rich. Integrity. There is a lot of talk, especially in Proverbs, about the rich and the poor. There is also a lot written about integrity. One of the most pointed is in Proverbs 28:6: “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” There are so many ways to look at that verse and make application. One I’ll make right here: “What good is it to be rich but not have integrity?

I was speaking recently to a businesswoman in my community and she said something to the effect of “I’m a businesswoman in this community. My reputation for honesty is everything. If I don’t have that I don’t have anything.” She was speaking of integrity and she’s right. Consider those who bring a business or organization back from the brink of ruin due to a lack of integrity of the former owners/managers/etc. The new owners stake their reputation on their integrity.

As a pastor, the quickest way to lose influence is lose integrity. A teacher? The same? Doctor? Nurse? Waitress? The same for all.

There is, obviously, nothing wrong with being rich or wealthy. Unless it was gotten by mismanagement, theft, lying, or other nefarious means. What is missing in all of that? Integrity. It is better to be poor (or not so well off) with integrity than rich without it.

“Father, help me to be a person of integrity. Help me to conduct my life-all of my life-with integrity. And help me not to judge someone by whether they are rich or poor. Help me instead to look into their heart.”

 

2 Comments so far ↓

  1. Ryan S. says:

    No matter how rich one might be, you can’t buy integrity.

  2. Honesty is, by far, the best policy.
    Blessings, Bill!