Read and Think
Five Things We Should Know About Money
1- The more we have, the more we want.
He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Wouldn't it be wonderful to be truly content? To be eased of the burden for more accumulation, and to be at peace with where we are in life? Why do we make ourselves miserable over what has no track record of satisfying?
2-The more we have, the more we spend.
When goods increase,
They increase who eat them;
So what profit have the owners
Except to see them with their eyes?
Ecclesiastes 5:11
The more you have, the more you want. The more you want, the more you spend. The more you spend, the more you need. The more you need, the more you have to have. Stop the world--I want to get off!
3-The more we have, the more we worry.
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,
Whether he eats little or much;
But the abundance of the rich
Will not permit him to sleep.
Ecclesiastes 5:12
When money is your shield and bulwark, you'll spend all your time worrying about what will happen if you lose your shield. Thankfully, my Shield and Protector is One who has already said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).
4- The more we have, the more we lose.
There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:
Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.
But those riches perish through misfortune.
Ecclesiastes 5:13-14
Let me be clear on this point, because it's easy to misunderstand what Solomon is saying. The essence of his message is this: You can't lose what you don't have.
5- The more we have, the more we leave behind.
When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.
As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return,
To go as he came;
And he shall take nothing from his labor
Which he may carry awah in his hand.
And this also is a sever evil--
Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.
And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?
All his days he also eats in darkness,
And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.
Ecclesiastes 5:14-17
We all know the modern translation of this one: You can't take it with you.
Two Things You Need to Know About God
1- Our ability to earn money is a gift from God.
Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink,
and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the
Days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.
Ecclesiastes 5:18
Solomon says you've worked for what you have, so go ahead and enjoy it...But remember that every gift is from God, and those gifts are not ends in themselves,but reminders of His goodness.
2- Our ability to enjoy money is a gift from God
As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor--this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the deays fo his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:19-20
God gives us not only the gift, but also the ability to enjoy it, the food and the mouth to eat it, the art and the mind to appreciate it, the beautiful earth and the feet to run upon it. Every component of life, down to the smallest molecule, is part of His gift. But we cannot enjoy any gift properly without reference to the Giver.
God is a loving and generous Father, but He doesn't want our things to possess us. What a joy to learn the lesson Rockefeller learned: money and possessions are not evil as long as they don't enslave us. Instead of destroying lives, wealth can serve the kingdom of God. Every good and perfect gift comes from God and has a good and perfect use. As long as we can find it and honor it, we honor Him. And we are one step closer to heaven on earth, rather than one foot deeper into the golden mirage of a fool's paradise.
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