PROVERBS 15:16.
“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
It is not how much you have or how much you possess! Your possession without the fear of the LORD is useless, because it will end up in trouble.
Excess possessions, excess treasure without peace leads to trouble. So, “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
Treasure that is not obtained through righteous means will always bring trouble on its way; either in the beginning or at the end. So, “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
Proverbs 16:8 says–
“Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.”
So, it is better that whatever you have, you obtained it through righteousness, you obtained it through obedience to the word of God; than gaining great revenues, great treasure in the wrong way. Because eventually, you will give account of what you have and how you obtained it.
So, it is better to have a little in righteousness, than to have plenty obtained through unrighteousness.
Proverbs 28:6 says–
"Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.”
Riches that is obtained through perverse ways will destroy you, because it will be an evidence for judgment against you at the day of judgment.
So, it is better with the little you have in the fear of the LORD. That which you have obtained through obedience to the fear of the LORD will end up giving you joy. It will keep you in peace, because you obtained it in righteousness. You will not be disturbed whenever there is a shaking, because in righteousness you obtained it.
So, “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
Don’t go about looking for great treasure, because it will bring trouble if it is not obtained in the right way. If it is not obtained through righteousness, if it is not obtained in uprightness, there will be trouble waiting for you at the appropriate time.
That’s why the Scripture says in Psalm 37:16:
“A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”
"A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”
“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
It is not discouraging you from being blessed: for the blessings of the LORD, it makes rich; He does not add any sorrow. But it’s encouraging you: ... that whatever you possess, let it be possessed in righteousness; whatever you obtain, let it be obtained in uprightness, let it be that you are obeying the word of God.
Don’t go after riches, don’t go after treasures in different ways, (whether it is from God or not), because it will bring trouble to you. When you don’t obtain it in the right way, there is trouble waiting for you. That’s what the Scripture is telling us here.
The Bible says in 1 Timothy chapter 6:6, it says –
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Yes! “Better is little with the fear of the LORD.” So, we are encouraged to live godly.
● Anything you are pursuing, pursue it in a godly way.
● Don’t go after riches that will destroy you, knowing fully well as the Scripture is telling us here in 1 Timothy 6 : 6, that “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Verse 7: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”
Verse 8: “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
Verse 9: “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
Verse 10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Those who go after money, who lustfully pursue after money without boundaries, they will certainly pierce themselves with many sorrows – for the love of money is the root of all evil.
Money is not evil on itself; but the love of it.
So, when you love money, you will do anything. But when you love God, you will do that which God has purposed for you to do.
SO, ...
★ Learn to be contented with what you have.
★ Don’t put yourself into temptation of going after riches by all means, because you will ensnare yourself, and you will
be drowned in destruction and perdition.
Remember that the Scripture tells us in Proverbs 10 : 22 –
“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”
Whatever God has blessed you with, it will make you rich. There will not be any sorrows to it. So, be contented with what God has blessed you with. For “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
Don’t bring trouble to yourself because you are running after money, because you are running after that which perisheth. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? ... what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” [Ref: Mark 8:36-37]. Nothing!
So:
“Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.”[Ref: Ecclesiastes 4:6].
● Enjoy the blessings of the LORD that makes rich; that adds no sorrow.
● Don’t go after riches by all means, for it will come with trouble and vexation of spirit.
● Enjoy what God has put in your hands in quietness.
That is what God expects to happen for you, knowing fully well, as Ecclesiastes 5 verse 10 says–
“He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.”!
Verse 11: “When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?”
Verse 12: “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.”
“Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
There are people that lose sleep because of what they have. They are not able to have any peace because they desire to have more, to desire more, thinking that their security is based on that. And in so doing, they keep accumulating, they keep doing things that are against the word of God just to secure themselves as they think.
So, I want to encourage you:
Receive this wisdom today, that - “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
What, are you accumulating to your own hurt?
Desire to live a contented life with the little you have!
Praise God for it!!
Yeah! ...
God desires that we should prosper and be in good health, even as our souls prospereth. God desires the prosperity of His servants; but we are not to set our minds and our hearts on that. That is why He said – “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
So: ...
Don’t set your minds and your affections on the things that perish. Even as God has blessed you, don’t put your minds on such things.
Keep seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the things that the Gentiles are running after will become an addition to you.
God Himself will be your sufficiency. And He will make you sufficient in all things, so that you will continue to give Him excellent sacrifice.
For “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.”
I encourage you, …
Remain and enjoy a contented life. And remain blessed in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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