Proverbs 21:17
“He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.”
“It’s no fun, do I have to do it?” “I don’t want to do it because it’s not fun.” These are the average statements you hear from the youth of today. If fun is not involved, then they don’t want to do it. We often chide youth for this, but they learned that everything is fun and games from someone. Sadly, many youth departments are geared around having fun. When you look at most church programs, you can see that they are mostly geared around fun and games. If there is no fun involved in an activity, then you find that activity is poorly attended.
God warns us that the love of pleasures and possessions leads to poverty. The word “loveth” indicates that pleasures and possessions are the sole focus. In other words, when a person makes pleasures and possessions their sole focus or purpose, then they are bound for poverty. With this in mind, let me give you several observations that will help you to keep pleasures and possessions in their proper focus.
First, God is not saying that pleasures and possessions are wrong. What God is saying is that focusing on these is what leads to poverty. God wants us to enjoy life, and he wants us to have pleasure in all we do. God is not some ogre Who looks down from Heaven and is upset because we enjoy what we do. In all reality, God created us with the emotion of laughter and enjoyment; therefore, He wants us to have pleasure in what we do.
Second, the focus on pleasure or possessions is what leads to poverty. This is interesting because many relationships and programs are all built upon pleasure. If you build a relationship upon pleasure and possessions, then what are you going to do when there is nothing that is pleasurable to do? Parents must be careful about trying to make everything fun. This is not reality! There are times in life when you must do things that are not fun. Pleasure and possessions should only be the byproduct of doing right and not the focus of why you do something.
Third, you must keep pleasures and possessions in their proper order. What makes these bad is that they become the focus. Work and responsibility always comes before pleasures and possessions. What gets people into debt is they focus on pleasures and possessions before they take care of work and responsibility. God’s proper order is: work, responsibilities, and then pleasures and possessions. Poverty will not come if you keep pleasures and possessions in their proper order.
Fourth, keep a proper balance of God’s order. Some don’t have to worry about pleasures and possessions because all they do is work and responsibilities. You must realize that God wants us to have all of these. Yes, you should work and take care of your responsibilities, but you should also take some time to enjoy life. You will notice that God spent six days working and taking care of responsibilities, but He also took the seventh day to relax and enjoy what He created. Likewise, Jesus worked and took care of His responsibilities while on Earth, but He also took time to rest and enjoy those around Him.
Friend, be careful that you don’t get pleasures and possessions out of their proper order. Don’t make these the focus of your life, but make them a part of your life. Include them in your schedule, but only after work and responsibilities have been accomplished. Pleasures and possessions in their proper order can be enjoyed and will not bring about poverty, because in their proper order they are a byproduct and not the focus.