American Prosperity Didn't Happen by Mistake - 4 Proverbs Principles that Sustain America

In Part I of this blog series, we covered 3 economic principles that shaped & propelled America. In Part II, we'll discuss 4 Proverbs principles that have spelled success in America & further etched her name in the ranks of the prosperous.

Do you want to prosper? Near everyone should answer "yes" to this question. Here is another question that might not garner the same majority. Did you know that our country has prospered because it has taken serious heed to the Bible's conditions for prosperity? It's quite clear. Let's take a look at some of these principles.

The book of Proverbs is a treasure trove of wise sayings for all aspects of life. It offers a lot about money and wealth particularly. These principles apply to individuals and they can apply to nations. There are at least four ingredients, according to Proverbs, for having wealth. They are:

1. - Giving/Generosity - In Proverbs 11 we see the promise that those who are generous will prosper. How does that stack up to how we as a nation give of our money?

This can be measured in two ways: how American individuals give to charities, non-profits, and other causes, and how the government gives to countries in need through foreign aid. In both categories America is #1 in the world and has been for some time. The top graphic above offers a sense for the top givers to charity in the world in the last decade. To give you an idea how much American individuals give, consider numbers provided by Giving USA for 2018.

- Individuals gave a total of $292 Billion

- Corporations accounted for over $20 Billion

- Foundations & Bequests gave just short of $116 Billion

TOTAL: $428 Billion

The 2nd graphic above shows foreign aid numbers from the year 2015, provided by the OECD. As you can see, the United States is at the top, in fact, it gives $10 Billion more than 2nd place France.

"One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. "PROVERBS 11:24-25

2. - Work hard

Working hard has been the American way since its inception. It seems to be an innate characteristic of the American worker. Alexis de Tocqueville admired both the American system of government and the American work ethic as he observed America in his 1835 book "Democracy in America." Still today the output of the American worker is 2nd to none. And, as Proverbs 14:23 states, our hard work as a nation has led to much profit.

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." PROVERBS 14:23

Righteous Living