Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
You would think, especially in these days of partisanship and polarization, the Right and Left have nothing in common. But I believe extreme opposites share a number of commonalities. For example, the idea money is everything seems to be the underlying force behind both ends of the political spectrum. Their approaches differ, of course, but each side tends to view wealth as the key to happiness. No wonder we’re missing it.
Although no one would deny the misery caused by poverty, it’s pretty well documented big bank accounts do not ensure happiness. If we can’t get no satisfaction it’s because we’re looking in the wrong places.
Contentment rests more upon our choices than our circumstances. The writer of Hebrews puts contentment based on anything other than God right next to sexual immorality (13:4-5). Both reflect a choice to sin. Paul says he learned to be content whether he had a lot of money or little (Philippians 4:12). Jesus warned about the deceitfulness of riches. He said wealth has the power not only to distract us, but to choke out the truth (Mark 4:19).
Yet we live in a culture that runs on the premise money is everything. If we hope to find any measure of happiness, contentment and peace in life, we must reject that notion. We can’t let our security rest on 401Ks and pension plans. On promises of job advancement and gold investments. We live in a world of fragile economies and bleak financial forecasts. We should steward well what we have without giving it the control over us it tries to demand.
We are made for more….
Our source of contentment rests in God’s promise he will never leave us or forsake us. He’s with us to the end. In our failures as well as our successes. In our plenty and in our want. Nothing can separate us from his love. Whether the stock market crashes or Wall Street stumbles, whether the rich keep getting richer and the poor poorer….we have access to what really matters. And that is a treasure we can bank on. It’s the true everything.