Those Impressed With Wealth

As I was reading the five psalms for today (Day 10 x 5 = Psalms 46-50) I came across a note I had written in above Psalm 49:16.

Those impressed with wealth…

The full passage my note refers to in Psalm 49 are verses 16-17:

    “Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dies he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him.” (Psalm 49:16-17)

One rendering of the word afraid from the Hebrew yare is overawed. The word can mean “to revere; to respect.”

It is easy to become impressed with wealth. In our minds money can solve so many of our problems and while that is true in a financial sense, in the spiritual sense if we are seeking money as a means to fix all the things that are wrong in our lives then we may be heading down the wrong path.

And even if one is to reach their financial goals in life it is important to understand, even if one is being financially blessed by the Lord, you still cannot take it with you!

    “With Your hand from men, O LORD, from men of the world who have their portion in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, and leave the rest of their possession for their babes.” (Psalm 17:14)

The Apostle Paul left important lessons about financial contentment. He taught his “son”:

    “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1Timothy 6:6-10)

Fathers are you content with what the Lord has provided or are you working 16 hour days just to get ahead? Do you find yourself kissing your children while they sleep as you leave for work and kissing your children while they sleep when you come home? That is a tough spot to be in and if you are doing because you have to work two jobs to make ends meet, I pray it is only a temporary situation.

However, if you are working those long hours at the expense of seeing your children during the week because the new BMW 330i and $40,000 tricked out mini-van parked in the front yard of your 3000 square foot home, then it might be time to reassess your priorities.

Money in and of itself is not evil; that is one misstatement about the Bible. However if your desire is to be rich the Apostle Paul warns that you are setting yourself up for a serious fall; it can make even a Christian man fall from their faith. We have seen that happen in NW Florida with professing Christians in elected offices now indicting for criminal activities.

Dad, do you want great gain? Thank the Lord for what you have; look at your budget and see if the love of money and materialism has crept into your life. If you find any, confess it to God and ask Him to teach you how to be content with what He has provided you; a family and a home and the necessities of life. Don’t be afraid to “downscale” even at the risk of being ridiculed by your “friends.”

I want to leave you with a quote from old Ben Franklin. I pray you have a blessed weekend and remember to go to church on Sunday.

    “He is a great simpleton who imagines that the chief power of wealth is to supply wants. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred it creates more wants than it supplies.” – Benjamin Franklin

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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