We work so hard. We work hard for so many things. We do our very best day in and day out with the rewards tied to a day in the future when we can sit back and rest and reflect on a job well done. During that journey we set different goals for ourselves and we strive to meet and exceed those objectives. One that invariably becomes a measurement of how we are doing, and our ability to enjoy the latter years of our lives when we are not working, is our financial goals. There is nothing wrong with having financial targets and in fact any good financial planner will tell you that having goals and plans are essential to getting to where you want to be in the future. However, what can lead us astray is when we put that financial target above all else and we find ourselves in a situation where that measure literally takes over on us. I know too many people who because of this have gotten turned around and messed up with their priorities and let their perspective get our of whack. This turned into some bad decision-making and for some life long consequences of their actions as they blindly chased their financial dreams. The Proverbs tell us how to keep that in balance. Proverbs 22:1 says; “Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver and gold”. That says it loudly and clearly. Whenever we are in a situation where we put our reputations at risk while questing for silver or gold, we are sailing in dangerous waters. As you think about today, remember that our reputations proceed us and at the end of the day, it will be our reputations that will outlive us. Let us be careful about our priorities and the outputs of why we work.

Reference: Proverbs 22:1 (New Living Testament)