Briefing: For most people in law enforcement, it is not just a job but a passion and a calling.

Dispatch (Assignment): Aside from house payments and regular bills, how did you spend your last paycheck? Do you save money for a special purchase or vacation?

On the Street: When I was a rookie police officer, I used to marvel at the fact that I got paid to do the job. I loved it so much that I would have done it for free. After twenty years, I still love the job but I would not be doing it today without a paycheck.

When it comes to money we need to be painfully honest with ourselves. Money is a root of evil. It has a powerful influence over our lives. God put us on this earth for one purpose, to glorify Him. How do you glorify Him with your money?

Proverbs has a lot to say about money and wealth. It is not a Dave Ramsey course on saving your money, but it is a good comparison between how fools and wise men spend their money.

Money is a stewardship issue. God gives us money for His purposes. He pays attention to how we use the money He has given us.

Proverbs 17:16 (NIV), "Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?"

Proverbs 15:16 (HCSB),"Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with turmoil."

Proverbs 15:27 (NIV), "The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live."

Proverbs 16:16 (HCSB), "Get wisdom; how much better it is than gold! And get understanding; it is preferable to silver!"

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV), "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."

Proverbs 18:11 (HCSB), "A rich man's wealth is his fortified city; in his imagination it is like a high wall."

Proverbs 18:23 (HCSB), "The poor man pleads, but the rich one answers roughly."

Proverbs 19:1 (HCSB), "Better a poor man who lives with integrity than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool."

Proverbs 19:4 (HCSB), "Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor man is separated from his friend."

Proverbs 19:7 (NIV), "The poor are shunned by all their relatives; how much more do their friends avoid them! Though the poor pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found."

Proverbs 21:6 (NKJV), "Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death."

Proverbs 21:17 (NKJV), "He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich."

Proverbs 22:1-4 (NKJV), "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold. The rich and the poor have this in common, the Lord is the maker of them all. A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life."

Proverbs 22:16 (NIV), "One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich, both come to poverty."

Proverbs 22:26-27 (HCSB), "Don't be one of those who enter agreements, who put up security for loans. If you have no money to pay, even your bed will be taken from under you."

Proverbs 23:4-5 (NKJV), "Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven."

Proverbs 28:6 (NKJV), "Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich."

Proverbs 28:11 (NKJV), "The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but the poor who has understanding searches him out."

Proverbs 28:20 (NKJV), "A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."

Proverbs 28:25 (NKJV), "He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered."

Proverbs 11:18 (NIV), "A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward."

Proverbs 11:28 (NIV), "Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf."

Just like a parent who is proud of his children when they share, God is pleased with us when we are generous towards each other with money.

Proverbs 21:13 (NIV), "Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered."

Proverbs 28:8 (NIV), "Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor."

Proverbs 28:22 (NIV), "The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them."

Investigational Resources: Matthew 6:24, 1 Timothy 3:3, 6:10, 2 Timothy 3:2, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Peter 5:2

Officer Safety Principle: Glorify God with your money and He will bless you.

from The Book of Proverbs Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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