The Burden of Wealth
1 Timothy 6:17-19 Give this command to those who are rich with the things of this world. Tell them not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted, but God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy. Tell those who are rich to do good—to be rich in good works. And tell them they should be happy to give and ready to share. By doing this, they will be saving up a treasure for themselves. And that treasure will be a strong foundation on which their future life will be built. They will be able to have the life that is true life.
This world in which we live, you and I, operates on the unwritten and yet inviolable law that wealth is good and poverty is bad – which means that pretty much everybody is trying to accumulate more wealth.
I mean, does anybody really want to be poor? Perhaps the odd nutcase, so the thinking goes, but not you or me, right? I mean, having money is a good thing. Hmm, interesting.
A recent study reported in Psychology Today showed that the children of wealthy parents had a higher risk of experiencing depression, anxiety, eating disorders and substance abuse. Researchers also found that as we get richer, many people become less ethical and less empathetic because wealth instils a sense of freedom and independence. So the wealthier we are, the less we care about other people’s problems and feelings.
By contrast, psychologists at the University of California at Berkeley and San Francisco found that people on lower incomes were better readers of facial expressions and more empathetic.
Should we be surprised? Not really. There’s nothing new under the sun.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 Give this command to those who are rich with the things of this world. Tell them not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted, but God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy. Tell those who are rich to do good—to be rich in good works. And tell them they should be happy to give and ready to share. By doing this, they will be saving up a treasure for themselves. And that treasure will be a strong foundation on which their future life will be built. They will be able to have the life that is true life.
Don’t let your wealth rob you of your life.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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