Looking for wisdom that actually changes how you live, not just what you know? We open a new series through Proverbs by reframing wisdom as a relationship you cultivate, not a pile of tips you memorize. Starting with Proverbs 1:1–6, we unpack why the book was written, who it’s for, and how it trains us to hear the right voice in a world full of noise.
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Money can look like security right up until the moment it can’t hold your weight. Today I’m sitting in Proverbs 11:28, and the more I live with it, the more I’m convinced Solomon isn’t mainly talking about dollars at all. He’s talking about trust: what you lean your full body on when you’re tired, uncertain, or trying to feel safe. That one shift changes everything, because you can be broke and still worship money, or you can have plenty and never put your hope in it.
We walk through the warning and the promise side by side. Jesus’ story of the rich fool in Luke 12 is Proverbs 11:28 in real time: bigger barns aren’t the sin, but treating stored fruit like a future is. Then we flip to the image of the righteous flourishing like a green leaf, pulling from Jeremiah’s tree planted by water and the simple question underneath it all: are my roots connected to the river, or am I trying to live off what grew last season?
From there, I connect Matthew 6:33 to the everyday mechanics of wisdom, obedience, and long-term fruit. Sometimes God prospers us by giving more, and sometimes He prospers us by teaching us we need less. I share two personal lessons that exposed my own “branches” thinking, from luxury hotels to the ongoing mental cost of owning assets, and why every asset has two price tags.
If this challenged you, share it with a friend who’s chasing “more,” and leave a review so more people can find the show. Subscribe and tell me this: what are you leaning your full weight on right now?
If you've ever struggled to hear God's voice, you aren't alone. My book, God, Why Won’t You Talk to Me?, was written for anyone seeking a deeper connection. Available now on Amazon: https://a.co/d/05KuPfd1
Well, good morning. Here we are again going through the book of Proverbs. Today we're going to be in Proverbs chapter 11, verse 28, where I titled this one You Got Enough Branches. And what you're looking for to work on are the roots, not riches. So great to have you back. We're still walking through Proverbs chapter 11, verse by verse, and today we land on verse 28. On the surface it reads like a simple warning about money. Don't trust it. But the more time I spent in this verse this week, the more I realize Solomon isn't really talking money at all. He's talking about roots. If you've been with me the last few weeks in this chapter, you know Solomon keeps circling the same idea from different angles. What you hold on to, what you give away, what actually lasts. Verse twenty eight might be the clearest statement of all of them. Here's where we're headed today. We're going to look at the difference between having riches and trusting riches. We're going to meet a rich man in Luke twelve who built a bigger barn and lost his soul in one night. And I'm going to tell you two things God has been teaching me personally. One about hotels I stay at, and what about the stuff I own? I finally made this verse make even more sense to me. So let's dig in. Here's the verse. Solomon writes in Proverbs eleven verse twenty eight He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. Two Hebrew words carry the whole weight of this verse. The first is patak. That's the word translated trust. It doesn't just mean believe in, it means to lean your full body weight on something, to feel safe because of it. It's the word you use for a man leaning against a wall, he sure won't fall. The second is the word parak. That's the word behind flourish. It's the same root word used when Aaron's dead staff butted overnight in Numbers chapter seventeen. And the same word for a tree blossoming in springtime. It doesn't just mean survive, it means to burst into life. Put those two together and the verse says something sharper than money is bad. It says whatever you lean your weight on will either hold you up or take you down with it. And the person who leads on God instead doesn't just get by, they burst into blooms of life. So trust is the word, not money.
Let's clear something up first because I think of a lot of well meaning Christians get this verse backwards. Solomon doesn't say he who has riches will fall. He doesn't say he who becomes successful will fall. He says he who trusts in his riches will fall. That's a completely different sentence. You can be flat broke and still be obsessed with money, dreaming about it, resenting it, letting it run your emotions all day long. And you can have plenty in the bank and never once lean your weight on it. The issue is never what's sitting in your account, it's what's sitting on the throne of your heart. Jesus said you cannot serve both God and money. Remember that? Notice what he didn't say. He didn't say you cannot have money and love God. Those are two very different statements. And I think a lot of religious people have blurred them together for a long time. Psalms forty nine describes exactly the kind of person Solomon is warning us about here. It says those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of the riches, no man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him. Notice what that psalm is really saying. Money can't buy you out of anything eternal. It can pay a hospital bill, it cannot buy back a soul. And Paul makes the same distinction in Timothy. He says instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited, or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Read that closely. Paul doesn't tell Timothy to strip every wealthy believer of everything they own. He tells them to redirect where their hope is fixed. That's the whole issue in one sentence. Where is your hope fixed?
Jesus tells a story that puts Proverbs eleven twenty eight right in your lap. It's in Luke chapter twelve. A rich man's land produced such a massive harvest that he doesn't even have room to store it. That's a good problem to have. So he says to himself, I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. And here's what I want you to catch. The bigger barn was not never the problem. The harvest wasn't the problem. Success was never the problem. The problem shows up in what he says next. He says, And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, You fool, this very night your soul is required of you, and now who will own what you have prepared? This man looked at everything he stored up and said, There, that's my security now. His barn became his future, his abundance became the thing that let his soul check out for good, and call and God calls him a fool for it, not because he was rich, because he leaned his full weight on something that couldn't hold him for even one more night. That's that word Batak we were talking about. That's Proverbs eleven twenty eight, acted out in a parable.
Okay, so now let's flip to the second half of the verse. The righteous will flourish like the green leaf, because I think we've misunderstood this side just as much as the first. Jeremiah paints the picture for us. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream, and does not fear when the heat comes, but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit. Notice what that verse doesn't say. It doesn't say this tree never experiences heat. It doesn't say this tree never sees a drought. Heat comes, drought comes. Both trees in the story feel it. The difference is what's happening underneath the surface. Psalms ninety two says the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and even adds this they will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. There's no retirement age in that verse. The fruit changes with the seasons of your life, but the tree stays connected to the same water the whole way through. So where does all that fruit actually come from? The tree didn't manufacture it out of nothing. The roots are pulling something up from a river the tree didn't create and doesn't control. Wealth can be a fruit. A good business can be a fruit, a nice house, strong friendships, peace in your home. All of that can grow out of a life planted in God. But none of that is the water. The rich fool of Luke twelve had a barn full of fruit, and somewhere along the way he looked at everything he had grown and said, I don't need the river anymore. Look how much I've stored up. That's the mistake. He confused what grew on the tree with what was keeping the tree alive. And this gave me a whole new way to read one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, Matthew six thirty three. You know it. It says, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. For years I read that as praise God enough, pray enough, worship enough, and stuff starts falling out of heaven into your fro into your front porch. Seek God and watch blessings appear out of thin air. But that's not really how it works, is it? Seeking God first means staying close enough to Him to hear Him. He gives you an idea. He shows you something you weren't seeing. He tells you to stop doing something, or start doing something else, and then you actually do it. That wisdom changes how you operate. And how you operate is what produces the fruit. Maybe I pray, God, prosper my business, expecting a check in the mail. Instead, God says, Change this system, hire this person. Don't hire that one. Treat your people differently. Wait on this deal. Ten years later, I'm standing in the middle of something I never could have built on my own. And the miracle wasn't money falling from the sky. The miracle is hearing what to do and having the faith to actually do it. You need to write that down. The miracle was hearing what to do and having the faith to actually do it.
That's why Solomon spends his whole book telling us wisdom is worth more than silver, more than gold, more than rubies. He says in Proverbs 8, verse 11, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire it cannot compare with her. Look, if I got a million dollars and no wisdom, I can lose that million bucks in a single bad season. But if I lose a million dollars and still have the wisdom, I still have the thing that knows how to build it again. I'd rather know how to farm than own one good harvest. Remember that past teaching? And here's the part I think we skip past too fast. Wisdom isn't the means to the goal. Wisdom is the goal. The houses, the business, the peace in your home. Those are all just wisdom. I mean those are all just what wisdom happens to leave behind whenever it walks through your life. Chase the stuff and you might get the stuff and still be a fool. Chase wisdom. And James tells us exactly how simple it is to get. James chapter one and verse five says, But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Not earned, not you deserve it, ask for it. That's how simple God made the most valuable thing in the universe to get your hands on. Remember, before Solomon ever picked up a pen and wrote a single proverb, he lived this principle out in front of God Himself. Look, turn to chapter First Kings chapter three. Solomon is a young king, barely settled on the throne, and God appears to him in a dream at Gibeon and says essentially ask me for whatever you want. Basically a blank check signed by the creator of the universe. Think about that offer for a second. Long life, riches beyond counting, the head of every enemy you ever threatened your throne. Solomon could have asked for any of it, and it would have been his by mourning. Here's what he asked for instead. He said, So give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, to discern between good and evil, for who is able to judge this great people of yours? He didn't ask for the fruit, he asked for the root. And God says, Because you asked for this thing and not asked for yourself long life, nor have you asked for riches, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice. Behold, I have done according to your words. I have also given you what you have not asked for, both riches and honor, so that you will not be any among the kings like you all your days. Read that again. God didn't just give Solomon the wisdom he asked for. He threw in riches and honor Solomon never even mentioned, as a bonus, because Solomon had his order right. That's Matthew six thirty three. Seven hundred years before Jesus even preached it on a hillside, that's Proverbs eleven twenty eight, straight from the mouth of man who wrote it. Solomon isn't handing you a theory in his book. He's handing you his own testimony. So when he tells us over and over and over that wisdom is worth more than silver, more than gold, more than rubies, he's not guessing. He turned out all three on purpose to God's face, and got them all back anyway. Centuries later another man got offered a version of the exact same trade, in person, standing face to face with God Himself. In Mark ten twenty one, it says looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, One thing you lack, go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and then come, follow me. We spend so much time on what Jesus asked that young man to give up that we miss what Jesus was actually offering him. Walk with me, learn from me, let me guide you. That's the same offer Solomon said yes to in a dream at Gibeon. The creator of everything was standing in front of him with a personal invitation, and the man was too busy grieving his possessions to see the trade he was being offered. I don't say that to judge him. I caught myself doing the same thing, holding what God already gave me so tightly that I almost missed what he wanted to hand me next. Here's where this whole thing came together for me.
When I hear the word flourish, my mind automatically jumps to more, more money, more property, more opportunities, more branches on the tree. But maybe flourishing doesn't always mean God keeps adding branches. Maybe sometimes he's looked at the tree and says, You got enough branches, let's take care of the tree. Because there's a point where your more branches doesn't make a tree healthier. It just gives the tree one more thing it has to support. Ecclesiastes warns us about exactly this trap. It says when good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage of their owners except to look at them with their eyes? The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats a little or much, but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep. That's Ecclesiastics chapter five eleven through twelve. More assets doesn't automatically mean more freedom. Past a certain point, more assets just means more things sitting on your mind at two in the morning.
I want to tell you something from my own life because this stopped being theory for me that day. I love nice things. I'm not going to stand up in here and pretend I don't. When I travel, I like the Ritz Carlton. I love the four seasons. I like walking through a beautiful entrance and filling the whole experience. But I noticed something in myself. It was creating pressure. I catch myself thinking, if I can't afford to travel that way, maybe I shouldn't go at all. Or I'll really be doing well once I can stay at those places without ever checking the price. And I believe the Lord gave me a simple thought one day. Look at what you're actually buying, he said. Yes, the entrance is spectacular. The lobby is spectacular. But once the door closes behind you, how different is your life really? You're sleeping in a bed, you're taking a shower, you're drinking coffee and heading out to enjoy wherever I'm at. A really nice Hyatt or Hilton gives me a beautiful room for a fraction of the price. And by the way, at the fancy place, after paying a fortune for the room, they still charge you a fortune for breakfast. Something happened when that thought landed on me. My bank account didn't change at all, but my piece did. I realized wait a minute, I'm doing pretty well right now. I don't have to put this pressure on myself that I haven't arrived unless I can afford the most expensive version of everything every single time. God prospered me in that moment without giving me another dollar. He gave me wisdom that reduced what I thought I needed in order to be happy. That's an example of flourishing. Sometimes God makes you wealthier by giving you more, and sometimes he makes you feel wealthier by teaching you you need less. And here's the second thing he's been showing me. Over the years I've acquired a good number of assets. That's not a bad thing in itself. We're taught to build, invest, own things, put our hands to work. But I started noticing that every single asset I acquired wanted something back from me. It wanted attention, maintenance, insurance, repairs, phone calls, decisions. Somebody I needed to schedule to go fix something. I realized every asset has two price tags. There's a price you pay to acquire it, and then there's a price it charges your mind every week after you own it. So I believe the Lord gave me a very practical piece of wisdom. Don't buy another asset until you can afford to have somebody else take care of it. That completely changed my definition of afford. Can I make the payment? That's one level. Can I write the check? That's another. But the wiser question might be, can I own this without it eating into the life God already gave me? And that's why, again, I mention hearing God's voice is number one in all things. It is what flows through the river and causes you to prosper and have fruit. So if you can't hear his voice yet, pick up my book, God, why won't you talk to me? It's on Amazon by Edward L. Carpenter. Alright.
So in closing, here's Proverbs 1128 in one sentence. Money isn't the root of your flourishing. At best, it's one of the fruits. Your root is God, hearing Him, trusting Him, acting on what He shows you. Stay planted there, and you can enjoy whatever fruit grows without ever confusing it for the source. So let me ask you two questions before we close today. What are you actually leaning your full weight on right now? Your bank account or God? And is it possible you don't need another branch to season? Just a little more tension on the roots you've already have. The rich fool had full barns and a soul that had stopped growing. Don't trust the barn. Stay connected to the river. Well, that's it for today. I'll see you next week as we keep working through Proverbs together. God bless and have a great week.
