A WORD TO THE WISE. Proverbs 28: 22 "Broke to Be Rich"

Proverbs 28: 22     A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, and does not consider that poverty will come upon him.

Proverbs 28: 22.  I’m not sure who makes the “Under New Management” signs in Montgomery, but their business is booming.  Every odd week a restaurant closes, and every even week the closed place re-opens under a new name.   Wash.  Rinse.  Repeat.

Though, often the food is really good, I have noticed a small, common factor in the restaurants that are fated to close:  They’re not prepared to lose money.   

New businesses, even those with strong, profitable business models go through an initial period of spending more than they take in.  The appropriate expenses of renovating, hiring, setting up new contracts, advertising, etc., etc.  mean that opening night profits won’t cover opening night expenses.  An entrepreneur who assumes immediate profitability, will close up shop when the business doesn’t start off making money.  The former place will soon be “Under New Management.”  Meanwhile the entrepreneur opens a new place with the same expectations of immediate riches.  Wash.  Rinse. Repeat.

A successful business owner once told me, “If you’re not prepared to go broke, then you’re not prepared to get rich.”

In the book of Exodus, the children of Israel were enroute to the Promised Land which God was going to place “Under New Management”---- theirs.  They were not, however, prepared to be hungry (Exodus 16: 1-3).  They were not prepared to go thirsty (Exodus 17: 1-3).  They were not prepared to lose life and limb facing the giants who were current owners of the place (Numbers 14: 1-3).    They ended up wandering from spot to spot for 40 years until a braver generation emerged.

Jesus hand-picked the apostle Peter to manage the early development of the Christian Church (Matthew 16: 15-19) , but Peter wasn’t prepared to see Jesus die (Matthew 16: 21-23).  He wasn’t prepared to face his own spiritual weakness (Luke 22: 31-34).  Peter had to go through a season of sifting.  After that he was changed/ converted and made able to lead and strengthen the brethren (Luke 22: 32).

A business, a people, a church, or a family that has been promised prosperity must consider that poverty will come upon them.   We have to accept that a season of hard work with little gain is required before the time of harvest.  

You can’t save it and enjoy spending it at the same time.  You won’t know it without the sometimes tedious effort of learning it (and getting it wrong sometimes as you learn).   You can’t grow unless you’re willing to lose a few along the way. 

You won’t get rich if you aren’t prepared to be broke.

If the sacrifice is too great, you can always walk away from what God has promised you.  But, the promised blessings will still be there(Romans 11: 29; 2 Corinthians 1: 20).  They’ll just end up “Under New Management” (Matthew 25: 25-29).

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

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Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,

Montgomery, AL 36116