Back to Basics
Monday, March 10, 2008
In God We Trust …?!
Read 1 Timothy 6:13-17.
Sometimes as our income goes up we think our importance does as well. We wouldn’t admit it, but we feel it. In our hearts there’s an ugly, dark side that comes with wealth. Paul says, “Let’s address it.” Once we’ve established that we’re rich in this present world, then we’d better be on the lookout for arrogance. When we compare, look down on others, or feel a sense of entitlement because of our worldly riches, Paul says, “SQUASH that. Don’t let God catch you exhibiting arrogance or pretense, because of something you have.” We think that as the pile of money gets bigger, it’s a reflection of something on the inside of us. We identify with our money and our wealth and our stuff, and we define our identity BY our things. Remember this: there is absolutely NO correlation between what we have and what we are on the inside. If you or I lost all of our money today, we’d still be who we are on the inside. The problem is sometimes our focus on the “stack” distorts our understanding of what’s important, and our “insides” our beliefs go wrong. Then what we have, our worldly riches DO come to define us. Paul says, “Don’t ever let that happen! We’re not necessarily smart or important because we’re rich. This “stuff,” this “stack,” is just stuff you have. It isn’t who you are. I told you at the outset that the stack of money here on the table was partly real and partly fake. In the end, it’s ALL fake if it’s the object of our trust, because money makes a great servant, but a terrible master. If we rely on it, when we lean on it – we’ll fall.
The problem with worldly wealth is: eventually, without ever making a conscious decision, our identity becomes wrapped up in it. We think, “I just need a bigger ‘stack.’” That kind of thinking is fatally flawed, because looking for security in something where it cannot be found is an illusion. If our life is based on an illusion, then when problems come and we lean in hard – the stack collapses and we collapse along with it. King Solomon gave us another piece of advice concerning the attempt to make money our security. He said, Whoever loves money, that is, whoever is leaning hard into their “stack” for security,” never has money enough. (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV) The pursuit of security through the pursuit of money is more than a dead end. It’s a false god.
Challenge: For one week – I will not trust in my riches, but in GOD who so richly provides.
Note the ways that you have trusted God to provide for your needs.
Let’s learn to be rich! Let’s learn to be good at being rich. Let’s not be arrogant. Let’s not put our hope in wealth that is so uncertain, but in God who richly provides us all things for our enjoyment.
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