I stumbled across the translation of the verse above while reading online. It’s from the New Catholic Bible. This is the one and only verse I’ve read from that translation, but they are doing something with this verse that is very different from the other English versions I compared. I would like to examine their interpretation and the meaning it uncovers, ignoring questions of accuracy or scholarship.

There’s a boardroom buzzword floating around; it’s not new but it’s in wider circulation lately. “Value add.” It is a compound noun that refers to something’s real or perceived worth as a part of a process. It comes from the mercantile thought processes that calculate the value proposition of each activity that is undertaken.

Perhaps you can tell from my tone, I find such language and thinking to be contemptable. It’s not compassionate or even productive in the long run to think of every human action based on the monetary worth it generates, directly or indirectly. People are the most important part of our interactions with people.

The blessing of the Lord is what brings wealth,
and our toil adds nothing to it.

Proverbs 10:22 (NCB)

But let’s play with the idea for a second. Imagine you had a debit card that could take money from a bottomless bank account. No one can ever take the card away, either. Would you bother making any investments? Would you do any work that wasn’t for your own personal fulfillment? What would be the point of pursuing more money if you already have anything you want whenever you present your magic card?

Stop and think on this. Unlimited money, no worries about anything, no need to plan to save or try to grow your wealth. What value add is work when you have unlimited money?

Now think about God’s gifts, his role as Creator and sustainer of the universe, his limitless power and unconditional love. It is not work that brings wealth. It is not human wisdom and effort that saves us from poverty. Every single thing we have is from God. We have access to everything he wants us to have. Our work can’t add to that. Trust God, live in his wisdom, ask and do with His ends in mind.

Ethan Kirl