1294 Be Provident with What God Gives

  When a scarcity exists, our reason can only calculate [how to remedy the situation] and does not want to believe [that God will help].  Just so the world cannot and will not properly accomodate itself to circumstances when God's blessing is plentiful.  Some, as we see, misuse the blessing for luxury.  When in one year wine production is plentiful, everybody gets the notion that God has given it in order to encourage all the more the swilling and consumption of wine.  But this was not at all His intention.  God's blessing should be carefuly preserved and should not squandered; rather it should be be saved against future need.  Thus Joseph taught the king of Egypt that he should use the seven good years to save that he might protect himself and his country against hunger during the seven bad years (Gen. 41:33-36).  Just so, when God in one year has granted this or that trade good luck, so that its ware brings a good price and sells well, the proceeds of this blessing should be carefully saved, and people should not think that they now may consume and spend all the more.  No!  God's blessing should by all means be honored and kept against future need.  But because this is not done and the blessing of God  is so disgracefully misused for sin and shame, people drive God by such wickedness to hold back and to send them two or three bad years for the one good year which they enjoyed.  For in what other way could God combat this disgraceful, wicked world and this terrible misuse?  (W 52, 197 - E 1, 289 - SL 13a, 284f)

page 437, What Luther Says A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, Compiled by Ewald M. Plass, copyright 1959, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Missouri.