Friday... It is so exciting but wait a minute.

Proverbs 19:2 (NLT), "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes."

Friday... It is so exciting but wait a minute.

This time of the year is so exciting. We get our paycheck from work and then we head to the store or Amazon and buy and buy and buy all those presents and then our check is gone

Proverbs 19:2 (NLT) says, "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." But buying gifts can be so much fun and seeing how happy they are when opening those presents makes us feel so good. But then verse 3 says, "People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then they are angry at the Lord."

Now for some that is their life. They get money and they spend it on their wants with no thought of what needs to be paid. An important lesson that we have learned is just because you have money in the bank doesn't mean you must spend it. But our enthusiasm takes over. But the problem is when it is gone and there is no money to pay the mortgage or rent or utilities or bills then we blame God. It's his fault that we don't have enough. But is it, really?

Verse 8 says, "To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper."

I said to my wife the other day that I wish that we had known and done when we were young what we know and are doing today, especially in our finances. One of the first lessons I wish I had known and done was that if you have money you don't have to spend it. It needs to be controlled.

We have two paychecks a month and we have all of our bills out where we can see them so if most of the bills are later in the month then we save out of the first paycheck what we need for the next one. Yes, we live on a budget plan and it works. We have striven to take control of our buying and spending. That is the wise thing to do. And learning from our mistakes is also the wise thing to do.

Now we are headed into total retirement. We are no longer looking for ways to make more money but in ways to control and use it. We have striven with God's direction and wisdom to make plans for these days.

Now I have found Proverbs to be a great place to go for wisdom.

These three verses in The Message Paraphrase says, verses 2-3, "Ignorant zeal is worthless; haste makes waste. People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?" And verse 8, "Grow a wise heart - you'll do yourself a favor; keep a clear head - you'll find a good life."

And the Amplified Bible says it this way, verses 1-3, "Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a [rich] man who is twisted in his speech and is a [shortsighted] fool. Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he hurries with his feet [acting impulsively and proceeding without caution or analyzing the consequences] sins (misses the mark). The foolishness of man undermines his way [ruining whatever he undertakes]; then his heart is resentful and rages against the LORD [for, being a fool, he blames the LORD instead of himself]."

And verse 8 says, "He who gains wisdom and good sense loves (preserves) his own soul; he who keeps understanding will find good and prosper."

Now maybe some have been excited and have already spent all their money on Christmas. So just stop and seek God's wisdom. Let Him teach you through this and give you ways to help you through this. In other words, stop and listen to what His Spirit has to say. This is the way we learn, this is the way we mature, this is the way we grow. Remember, "People who cherish understanding will prosper."Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning