Clear Plan for a Wise Man

“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.” – Confucius

Wise Man Clear Plan Solomon

The wisest man on earth had a lot to say about financial planning. Even a casual reading of the Proverbs shows us that Solomon understood the importance of having a clear, intentional plan for handling money. Throughout his statements in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, he reminds us that a plan helps us make good choices, and those choices make a difference—a big difference. He wrote, “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind” (Proverb 21:5).

Small steps in the right direction, he assures us, eventually take us places we want to go. He observed, “Work your garden—you’ll end up with plenty of food; play and party—you’ll end up with an empty plate. Committed and persistent work pays off; get-rich-quick schemes are rip-offs” (Proverbs 28:19-20).

In the study of wealthy people in The Millionaire Next Door and in my observations of people who have attained both financial and relational wealth, we see that seemingly small steps of planning and choices to be frugal in spending are two of the hallmarks of people who accumulate real wealth. That’s not a secret. We can all apply these basic lessons of life.

Stay tuned for our next episode…

The Rich Man’s Error

Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. But as for your question, you know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’ “

The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a child.”

“There is still one thing you lack,” Jesus said. “Sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the man heard this, he became sad because he was very rich.

Jesus watched him go and then said to his disciples, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”

He replied, “What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God.”

Peter said, “We have left our homes and followed you.”

“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you, everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, as well as receiving eternal life in the world to come.”