Seems like every time I turn on the news this week I hear about the 550 million dollar Powerball jackpot.
There's a part of me that's tempted to go on down to my local convenience store and buy a ticket or two.
Wow! Just think what I could do with the money.
What would you do?
I think I'd set up all kinds of accounts for my favorite charities.
Lots of my winnings would go to my church.
Some would go to local hospitals
Some to women's shelters.
And, of course, there'd be lots for me, too.
First thing I'd do is help my children get the rest of their schooling.
Then I'd set up education funds for my grandchildren.
I'd pay off the house.
Maybe pay off my children's mortgages, too.
Maybe I'd get some liposuction for my middle-aged midsection.
Buy a condo in my favorite city. Then I could jet over there any time I wanted to sight-see and attend the ballet and the opera.
Gosh, all my money woes, and all of my dreams would be fulfilled.
Right?
There are a few small problems attached to having all the money in the world, though.
I think my personal problems with a largesse might approximate what I believe happens to societies who have too much material wealth:
We stop putting our hope in God.
Oh, I'd keep worshiping my Lord.
I'd give Him thanks for His tremendous blessings.
But I think, somewhere down my wealthy road, I'd begin to focus more about my money in the bank and less about my Lord in heaven.
Our Sunday school once hosted a Russian missionary who flies planes and brings supplies to villages in Siberia.
He shared about his many struggles, both physical and spiritual.
The intense weather saps the physical strength of the village people he serves. Health care is sparse.
Never enough food and supplies. Religious persecution rampant.
So many needs.
Yet this missionary and the people he serves are on fire for the Lord. Their faith is vibrant.
They have nothing. Yet everything. Because God supplies all their needs. And they look to Him for their nurture.
The Russian missionary said he pities us in the western world for this very reason.
We have no need, so we have little faith.
So, I think I won't go down and buy a Powerball ticket.
Winning might be losing.
"And my God will meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19 NIV Bible)
There's a part of me that's tempted to go on down to my local convenience store and buy a ticket or two.
Wow! Just think what I could do with the money.
What would you do?
I think I'd set up all kinds of accounts for my favorite charities.
Lots of my winnings would go to my church.
Some would go to local hospitals
Some to women's shelters.
And, of course, there'd be lots for me, too.
First thing I'd do is help my children get the rest of their schooling.
Then I'd set up education funds for my grandchildren.
I'd pay off the house.
Maybe pay off my children's mortgages, too.
Maybe I'd get some liposuction for my middle-aged midsection.
Buy a condo in my favorite city. Then I could jet over there any time I wanted to sight-see and attend the ballet and the opera.
Gosh, all my money woes, and all of my dreams would be fulfilled.
Right?
There are a few small problems attached to having all the money in the world, though.
I think my personal problems with a largesse might approximate what I believe happens to societies who have too much material wealth:
We stop putting our hope in God.
Oh, I'd keep worshiping my Lord.
I'd give Him thanks for His tremendous blessings.
But I think, somewhere down my wealthy road, I'd begin to focus more about my money in the bank and less about my Lord in heaven.
Our Sunday school once hosted a Russian missionary who flies planes and brings supplies to villages in Siberia.
He shared about his many struggles, both physical and spiritual.
The intense weather saps the physical strength of the village people he serves. Health care is sparse.
Never enough food and supplies. Religious persecution rampant.
So many needs.
Yet this missionary and the people he serves are on fire for the Lord. Their faith is vibrant.
They have nothing. Yet everything. Because God supplies all their needs. And they look to Him for their nurture.
The Russian missionary said he pities us in the western world for this very reason.
We have no need, so we have little faith.
So, I think I won't go down and buy a Powerball ticket.
Winning might be losing.
"And my God will meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19 NIV Bible)
That is a great conclusion, Dena. All that I know about people who come in to riches without adequate training in management of money, is not pretty. Sure there are some nice opportunities to splurge on your desires and do some nice things for some organizations that are struggling, but the tendency to rely on your money would or could erode your dependence on a gracious giving God. Earning your way and a little bit of struggle seems to keep us humble and grateful. And we all know that "a grateful heart a garden makes" and we can be fed by that garden for an eternity even after all the money has gone.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Clark!
ReplyDelete