Good Money, Bad Money
Ecclesiastes 5:19 If God gives some people wealth, property, and the power to enjoy those things, they should enjoy them. They should accept the things they have and enjoy their work-that is a gift from God.
Some people are embarrassed by the wealth that God has given them. They look at what they have, and what others don’t have, and it bothers them.
I used to think that you had to be poor to be a Christian, but that’s not what the Bible teaches. King Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever walked this earth, said this:
Ecclesiastes 5:19 If God gives some people wealth, property, and the power to enjoy those things, they should enjoy them. They should accept the things they have and enjoy their work-that is a gift from God.
So where do we go wrong? At what point do you and I step over that line between godly enjoyment and selfish greed?
I met a man recently who’s incredibly wealthy. He has a strong heart after God. And so this question about that line was bumping around in my head. How is it that this guy can have so much money and yet still be so obviously full of the joy of the Lord?
As I listened to him, the answer came. It’s because he gives so much of his wealth into God’s Kingdom. Instead of being a brutal master, his wealth is a faithful servant. My hunch is, we don’t have to be mega-rich for that to work in our lives too.
Let’s just focus for a minute on what God has entrusted to you. That quote from Ecclesiastes tells us that God gives us the power to enjoy what He’s given us. So, get on and enjoy it.
But might I also ask you, how much of it are you giving away? Because, as Jesus said, it’s much better to give than to receive and generous, sacrificial giving brings a huge joy from God as well.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Blessed by this devotion?
Share it with a friend!
Respond