WEALTH - DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!

Whenever I sit down to pay the bills - there is always a sense of hope that maybe there will be a little more left over this time.  Paying bills is one of my least favorite things to do.  But it is also a constant reminder that I need to be careful HOW I spend the resources we have.  It is so easy in our culture to simply throw it on the credit card and if we can't pay it off when that bill is due we merely let it ride.  Part of the problem is that we do not want to say NO to ourselves.  We would rather say yes and then deal with the economic consequences later.  That is why these verses are such a challenge.  Because even as I struggle to pay bills I understand that I have so much more than most believers in the world.

1 Timothy 6.17-19 (NLT)  Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. [18] Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. [19] By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

Wealth, riches there is very real DANGER in having more than you need.  It is so easy to slip into thinking you are the reason that financially you are doing well.  Paul addresses that by warning the rich NOT to become arrogant and TRUST their money - INSTEAD they must trust God.  After all it is God who gives us ALL we NEED for our enjoyment.  The implication in that is that if I do not have enough money to get the latest gadget or toy or laborsaving device then I don't need it.  I am supposed to remember that God has given me what HE knows I need for enjoyment.  That may require me thinking through more carefully the things that I enjoy.

Paul goes on to say that they should USE or INVEST what God has given to them. They are supposed to be doing good with the resources that God has entrusted to them.  They should be generous and ready and WILLING to share with others. 

The Last reminder is for us to see that this world is temporary and that ALL that we have here cannot compare to the wonder of heaven.  It is a reminder that this life is NOT all that there is.  

 

I Love these quotes - great reminders of the DANGER in pursuing wealth.

"Be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. No matter how much money you have, your life should demonstrate that God controls the wealth that He has placed under your care." NLT Notes

“Though riches come, and riches go, don't set your heart upon them.  The fields of hope in which I sow  are harvested in heaven.” A Keys

PRAYER: Lord God help me to see clearly ALL the different ways that You have blessed me so that I can fully enjoy them.  Help me to think more about how to be generous and share with others than about how I can accumulate more stuff. Help me Lord to see that this life is an investment NOT for here but for Eternity.