I’ve been studying the book of Proverbs a lot this week as I prepare to preach on financial wisdom from this book on Sunday.

All of the financially sound advice men give today is based on what was written long ago in God’s word.   Any wisdom man can share on this subject is truly wise because it comes from the Bible, God’s wisdom.  Solomon gives us four imperatives in the book of Proverbs to be a good financial manager of the money God entrusts to us.   Notice:

1. Prioritize: Honor God first and seek to help others who are in need (3:9-10; 14:31; 17:5; 21:13).

2. Plan: develop a budget and live within it (21:5) — this involves living within your means (21:17), living below your means (13:7), watching wasteful spending (18:9), and refusing to live on borrowed money (22:7).

3. Produce: work for what you get (28:19; 10:4) — this involves working hard (14:4), working hard over time (avoiding get-rich-schemes 13:11; 28:20), and working honestly (13:11).

4. Preserve: do what you can to save now for the future (13:22) — including saving for emergencies, retirement and investment, and children’s inheritances.

All of this is important, because we are merely stewards of the blessings God bestows.   One day, we will give an account of our stewardship (Luke 16:2).