True But Fake Passages: Devotions From Time Of GraceSample

“A penny saved is a penny earned”

American patriot Benjamin Franklin was known to be a thrifty guy. His "Poor Richard’s Almanac" (PRA) was widely read in the colonies and contained many a nugget of wisdom. He is credited with saying, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” but that phrase has actually never been found in any PRA edition. It’s not in the Bible either. It goes back at least another century in England as anonymous wisdom that popped up in several books.

But though the wording may not be biblical, the concept certainly is. All of us struggle with learning how to restrain our spending and consumption. Solomon had been watching human behavior for a long time and knew how weak we are: “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down” (Proverbs 21:20).

Buying stuff is just so sweet, isn’t it? For some people it gets addictive, giving them a dopamine release in their brains just like drugs. Shopping makes them feel good about themselves, and so they repeat the experience over and over, loading up their credit card balance. Building a financial reserve is hard work, takes discipline, and depends on self-control. “Whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow” (Proverbs 13:11). You can gather it by choosing not to spend it just as well as by making it.

Saying no to yourself now allows you to say a bigger yes later.