One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

Proverbs 13:7

Commentary

This is really the truth in America today. In the book The Millionaire Next Door, the authors highlight research they did showing that there are many who spend extravagantly and have an outward appearance of being rich, but they are in fact only consumers. On the other hand, there are many millionaires right next door who live seemingly plain lifestyles, but have great wealth. There’s no need to keep up with the Jones’s. The look rich, but they’re pretending. The stress that their high-consumption lifestyle generates is not something to be desired. Be obedient and faithful with what you have. Don’t be concerned about putting on a show.