September 21, 2026

Business by the Book

Proverbs 13: 7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

Herein is wisdom for the ages! Is this a contradiction? A paradox, not necessarily! An oxymoron, don’t count on it! A puzzle, yes! An impossibility, nope! This is a truth. It is a truth that transcends human logic and human nature. It is a truth that is rarely understood and even more rarely practiced.

This is what Jesus spoke of in Matthew 10:39. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Jesus also taught in Mark 10:29-30, …Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30)  And again in Luke 13:30,  And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. It is in the same vein as Matthew 23:11, But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

This truth is so deep, so rich, and so profound that it cannot be fully explained: it can only be lived. In fact, the only way to understand its veracity is to do it. One key that will open up the mystery of this truth however is found in the words of Jesus as recorded in Luke 12:34, For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The rich ruler of Luke 18:18-24 didn’t learn this truth. But Moses did, as testified in Hebrews 11:26.  Few there be that will, so few there be that will ever understand.

Dr. William Howe