“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7
One could not help but admire the sleek black upper end luxury car.
As I pulled up behind it, the tag caught my eye with its tag number of “OWE DEBT.” I thought, “That says it all.”
In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 reminds us that “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income….” The trap is wealth. Scripture tells us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are considered to have riches.
Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that required more than our basic necessities. Jesus continually taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil. Whenever Jesus determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found that the individual could not let go.
Much like the frog in the boiling pot, if we are not careful we gradually begin to acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. We begin to expect and desire more and more. Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle. Before we know it, we are worrying about how to take care of and pay for what we acquire.
Our emphasis becomes what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom. The greater independence money gives us, the less dependence on God we need. Christ talked much about money in the Kingdom because He knew how much of a problem it was.
The psalmist said it best: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Lord, I choose to trust in You, not in myself and the material world around me. Help me to keep my focus solely on You. Amen.
Question: When we worship wealth and things of material gain we focus on them rather than on God. Where is your focus?
by John Grant
Used by Permission
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney
FURTHER READING
• Is it All about Money? by Julie Cosgrove
• Shunning Materialism by John Grant
• Learn to be Content by Phil Ware
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