There are two passages assigned for today!
SCRIPTURE: Ecclesiastes 5
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. [Ecclesiastes 5:13-15]
Money is a problem… agree or disagree?
We can get technical and say that money is neutral, that the human heart is the problem, and I would agree.
The same could be said for sex, that sex is a problem.
Maybe it is better to day that money and sex, of themselves parts of God’s creation and therefore good in and of themselves, are dangerous to our sinful hearts.
Money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is.
And the Teacher’s point, based on personal experience, is that the drive to attain wealth, whether we are rich or poor, is a harmful to the person’s soul.
People invest themselves in something that cannot last, that cannot satisfy, that cannot save.
Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. [Matthew 6:19-20]
Seen in perspective, its not worth fighting for things, they are just things.
I have witnessed families fighting over possessions after their parents’ die, is it really worth it?
Or fights that lead to serious injury or even death, or a chocolate bar, or a place in line?
Road rage is increasingly in the news too, including stories where someone was so upset by what someone else did, that they ran over the person!
What all of these behaviours reveal is a sad, sick heart, one that clings desperately to “stuff” to fill the void within, only to discover that it cannot satisfy.
As we read Ecclesiastes, this theme will come out again and again – life in this world is meaningless without God.
Seek God first, and all the other stuff will eventually fall into place.
Invest in soul treasure, the richness that comes from knowing and loving God, and being known and loved by God.
The happiest people in the world are not the richest, but those who are content in God, whatever their lot in life.
Are you one of them? Am I?
PRAYER:
Lord, why do I need more stuff, more technology, more money? What I really need is more You!