New York City is known as “the city that never sleeps,” and for a time Scott Harrison was partly to blame. As one of the top nightclub promoters on the planet, his nocturnal dealings brought him notoriety, success, and wealth. In addition to his business proceeds, companies paid him thousands of dollars to endorse their stuff. But, during a luxury vacation in Uruguay, something changed. He rediscovered his faith and, suddenly, “having it all” wasn’t enough.
Scott traveled to Liberia where he witnessed the problems caused by contaminated water. The result was charity: water, an organization he founded that has helped over 1 million Africans.
Many people come to realize that wealth, for its own benefit, is meaningless. King Solomon knew this, despite his astounding riches. With an annual income of more than 25 tons of gold, he owned a fleet of trading ships that circulated through the seas, bringing back exotic treasures including ivory, apes, and peacocks (2 Chronicles 9:13-21). During Solomon’s reign, “silver [was] as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone” (v.27).
The king’s megabucks didn’t prevent him from proclaiming a long rant on life in general—with specific comments about wealth. He said, “How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). What good is wealth, except to watch it slip through your fingers? Apparently, even the wealthiest people in the world see that amassing money doesn’t guarantee fulfillment.
We don’t have to own lots of money to seek satisfaction in it. We fall into the trap of loving money by obsessing over it. Solomon said “those who love money will never have enough” (v.10). Exchanging a love of money for a love of people yields a far higher return.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 13:44-52
More:
Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10 to learn about God’s idea of great wealth. Read Luke 12:14-21 to see why life can’t be measured by how much we own.
Next:
Why is it so difficult to deal with the enticement of wealth? How can you tell the difference between responsible stewardship and acquiring wealth for its own sake?
lindagma on July 11, 2011 at 7:46 am
You don’t have to be wealthy to become obsessed with money. The lack of it can cause a person to focus their entire life on trying to obtain it.
jennifer benson schuldt on July 11, 2011 at 2:33 pm
That’s right! We tend to want to point the finger at wealthy people and accuse them of loving money. However, some of them are the most generous people around! Pointing the finger at the “Richie Riches” in our world may blind us to our own responsibility with the money that God has given to us.
roxanne robbins on July 11, 2011 at 9:19 am
This post reflects God’s marvelous yet mysterious economic model: “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.”
Proverbs 11:24
jennifer benson schuldt on July 11, 2011 at 2:59 pm
roxanne,
Yes. Participating in God’s “economic model” is a way to exercise our faith in Him!
Aganos on July 11, 2011 at 2:10 pm
You are very right Chileshe. The gospel in our churches today is about big moneys, big cars, big mansions…the list is endless. The gospel of holiness and purity has been thrown out of the window and sin is being condoned.I attended a service yesterday and it was very embarrassing to see the man of God demand huge sums of money from people who didn’t look like they could even afford the next meal so that he could pray for them. Lets arise and pray for restoration in our churches.
jennifer benson schuldt on July 11, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Aganos,
The experience you mentioned is truly sad. The situation happens in many areas, in slightly different ways. When I hear about these things, I have to remind myself of God’s justice. Proverbs 22:16 and 22 say, “A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty” and “Don’t rob the poor just because you can…for the LORD is their defender. He will ruin anyone who ruins them.” Thanks for taking the time to write in today.
alli on August 14, 2011 at 4:19 pm
greed is dangerous if you dont use the gifts give you for the right reasons God gets upset, because someone isnt getting what they need. So like if Americans get all greedy and corrupt He will see fit to remove everything from us. All we can do is pray for mercy.
jennifer benson schuldt on July 11, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Proverbs 17:5 says, “Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.” This verse reminds me of what you described–church leaders who flaunt their wealth in front of the congregation! What a sad situation. As Aganos pointed out (below) we need to pray for the spiritual health of our churches and especially the church leaders.