Foolish and Hurtful Lust
If someone were to ask us what do we value most, what would we say? Our family? Our home? 
Our education? Our life? Or would some of us say our bank account? Our riches?
Many people in our world today strive to attain wealth. They want to have the most spacious home, the fanciest car, the finest clothes, and the best of material things in life. While being wealthy is not a sin, what does the Bible say about riches and the constant desire to attain them?
In Proverbs 23:4-5, King Solomon, one of the richest and wisest men that has ever lived, states “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” He explains that one should not work hard to be rich, for riches easily go away. They are not a stable element for which one should pursue.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus explains how we are to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven rather than upon earth, because where our treasure lies is also the place of our heart. If we spend all of our time in the pursuit of earthly riches, how can we have any time to devote in service to God?
In 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Paul expresses the fate of those who are not content with their material possessions and have a love of money: “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Paul makes it quite clear that those who spend their time chasing after material wealth put themselves in a dangerous spiritual condition.
May we always remember to put God first in our lives and seek to extinguish the lust for worldly gain.
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on November 10th, 2008
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