For over forty years, providing for the family has been at the top of my priority list. Like any family we’ve had both “up” and “down” years, but as believers, we have never lacked food, clothing, or shelter. During those decades, I watched people I knew as well as those highly visible, amass wealth both honestly and at the expense of others. The Bible says this is nothing new, but observing it in today’s realities requires you to keep a things in perspective. During the 80’s junk bond dealers thrived. In the 90’s mergers, acquisitions and massive downsizing emptied hard earned savings and retirement accounts into other’s pockets. More recently it was 9/11, Ponzi schemes, Wall Street and bankers being bailed out by the government while the common man foots the bill. It was almost as if we saw David’s words in Psalm 37 come to life: “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good . . . A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. . .  Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked . . . The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.’” (Verses 1, 2, 10, 16, 18)

It is disheartening to think that our society, as sophisticated as we imagine ourselves to be, is still motivated by primal greed and pleasures which disappear in the blink of an eye. The reality is that there have and will always be people with this mentality. In order for you not to get sucked up into this mentality, become irrational or emotionally reactive toward these people, you must be able to see them from an eternal perspective. Let’s think this mentality through and keep it in perspective.

First of all, there is nothing wrong with money. Let’s make sure we get that clear. Money can accomplish much when used with wisdom. The Bible says it’s the LOVE OF MONEY that is wrong in 1 Timothy 6:10 because when you love something (instead of someone), it can become your “god” or master, causing you to leave your faith behind. Jesus plainly says that you cannot serve both money and God at the same time in Matthew 6:24. So in the majority of cases there is a choice that has to be made. Jesus says in very rare cases (Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25, Luke 18:25) an individual MAY be able to possess both. It takes a very shrewd mentality most believers simply do NOT possess. (Luke 16:1 – 14)

So, if the person is focused on things and financial reward, they have missed the whole point of life, according to Jesus: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.” (John 6:29) It has nothing to do with acquisition, because: “To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.” (Ecclesiastes 2:26) In other words, an unbeliever may be shrewder than we, but the eternal riches are being stored up for you, replacing what they had in this life. They need your prayers. In most cases, because of their wealth, they cannot possess peace, joy and hope. Possessions are probably as close as they will get. They don’t have what you are promised and that is sad.

Love Dad