Dangerous Promises | Money Advice, (Part 3)
1 My son, if you become surety for your friend,
If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 You are snared by the words of your mouth;
You are taken by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Proverbs 6:1-5
My dear VPGs,
Don’t become the surety guy! (or gal)
Remember the world’s “golden rule”: He who has the gold rules.
But ruling is not the goal of life, serving is.
“The best version of you will emerge when you decide to use your potential to make the world a better place.”
John Maxwell
Money is power and power is addictive. The moment you find yourself enjoying being the surety guy – enjoying people being beholden to you, flee!
The moment you find yourself trying to control people with money or the things money can buy, flee!
You can only do so much with money. You may be able to buy a man but you’ll never buy his heart.
Money can buy visible, things like: food, lodging, transportation, the skills and services of others, but money cannot buy the invisible, things like: loyalty, fidelity, peace and love.
Bottom line, the moment you find yourself using money to buy love, admiration, and influence you have become a compromised person, someone who will be pitied by people of character and who will be surrounded by false friends with empty promises who secretly don’t respect you.
And here’s the irony, being the surety guy – giving with strings attached – you are also held in bondage by those very same strings.
That is why Solomon advised:
3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself;
For you have come into the hand of your friend:
Go and humble yourself;
Plead with your friend.
4 Give no sleep to your eyes,
Nor slumber to your eyelids.
5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
More tomorrow.
Love,
Your very own papa
Prayer: Father God, please help my grandchildren to get their sense of identity from YOU. Like YOU, help them to be creators of wealth that wisely and lavishly enriches those around them.
Surround them with real friends/true friends who love them for who they are, not what they’ve got and who will partner with them in their ministry of giving and Kingdom investing.
All for your glory and the advancement of your purpose. Amen.
