Daily Devotional – Thursday, September 4, 2025
The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
Proverbs 21:20 (NIV)
Two people get their salaries. One rushes out to spend it all on eating out, buying clothes, and upgrading gadgets. By the end of the week, she was broken and stressed. The other takes time to budget, sets some aside for savings, and lives within their means. When an unexpected expense pops up, she is calm and prepared. Which of the two sounds wiser?
Wisdom in Stewardship
That is precisely what today’s key text is teaching us. In Bible times, having food and olive oil stored away was a sign of wisdom, security, and blessing. The wise person knows how to plan ahead and use resources well. The foolish person, however, consumes everything right away and is left with nothing when the need arises.
This verse, however, is not about money only but about how we handle everything God has entrusted to us, such as our time, our energy, our opportunities, and even our spiritual lives. In a world that pushes instant gratification, wisdom reminds us to pause, plan, and think about the future.
Storing Up What Truly Matters
The same is true spiritually. A wise believer “stores up” by spending time in God’s Word, praying daily, and practicing obedience to Him. These habits strengthen the soul so that when life’s storms come, they have a well to draw from. The unwise person ignores these things, and when hardship comes, they feel empty and unprepared.
Ask yourself, “Am I living wisely with what God has given me, or am I wasting it all?”
Prayer
Almighty God, help me to handle wisely the time, money, energy, faith, and other resources You have given me. Teach me to store up what matters most, so that I may live prepared and generous for Your glory.
