There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches. Proverbs 13:7

Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.
Proverbs 13:11

There are rich people who have nothing and there are poor people who have it all. How can this be? Those who “make themselves rich,” loving and longing for money, doing everything they can to get their hands on it, may indeed amass great wealth.

Verse seven does not dispute that these people have money, but they own nothing. They are instead, owned by the money they have accumulated. In contrast, the one who does not love or long for money, who refrains from “making himself rich” by giving generously, may even appear to “make himself poor.” This one, however has true riches.

Verse 11 declares that dishonesty may lead to wealth, but the wealth it obtains is temporary at best. The one who earns his bread by honest hard work, however—though he doesn’t net big bucks in short order—is on the path to lasting wealth. This speaks of time frames. Will the self-made, often shady, rich man come to poverty right away? Not often. His money usually lasts long enough to convince him he was doing the right thing. Will he loose it over the course of a lifetime? Maybe. But in the long run, this man will suffer loss of all things when he stands before God who will inform him that his riches cannot purchase forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Heaven.

The key to all of this is simple: Listen to and obey God’s mind on the subject of money and true wealth, and enjoy eternal prosperity. Listen to the world, and suffer eternal poverty.