April 27, 2008
Renewing the Mind
”Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” Proverbs 23:7
Another translation says, ”As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
I read the other day that the brain and the heart share a direct connection and that the heart has membrane that “thinks.” The Bible certainly points out that the heart is the seat of man, or the control tower so to speak.
I have been around some very wealthy people throughout my life, and I’ve noticed a distinctive difference. A person can be wealthy but their riches do not control their emotions. Others can have riches but are never in control of themselves. They worry and calculate constantly. They can’t enjoy their wealth because they are always budgeting and calculating the costs. They spend a dollar chasing a dime.
One time, Kay and I were invited to have dinner at a wealthy person’s home. When we arrived, although we were invited, it felt like we were intruding. We never felt comfortable. I couldn’t put my finger on it for a long time, then I realized that he was constantly calculating, adding things up in his head. He was so distracted by the costs that he could not enjoy relationship. Although this man had achieved great wealth and success, he could not enjoy it, for the fear of spending it.
During the meal, I noticed that I lost my appetite. I was not hungry for his food. I didn’t want anything that he had. Even now when I think of him, my first thought is not how wealthy he is but how poor his life is.
The word stingy actually means evil, disagreeable, miserable, or malignant.
A stingy person literally has a malignancy in their mind. It distorts their thinking. They cannot see things as reality. Although they have wealth yet they are poor in their mind.
”Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10