(August 13, 2013)
Riches are an interesting thing. On the one hand, Paul condemns those of us who look to riches as our god. We sometimes suppose that our gain is godliness – looking down on those below us in wealth and looking up to those above us in wealth. The love of money, says Paul, is the root of all evil.
So we should all be poor, right? No, I don’t think so. I don’t believe it is an accident that Paul in the same chapter talks about the riches we are given from God. I think that is the great difference here. If we believe that our riches are ours, we tend to be selfish, prideful, and consume these riches upon our lusts. If we instead recognize the truth – our riches, whether greater or lesser, are gifts from God and not based upon any particular worthiness of our own – we become selfless, humble, and we use those riches both for righteous enjoyment on our part and the blessing of the lives of others. Christ does not want us laboring in misery – the ox is not muzzled at the plow – but he does want to ensure that we work the plow rather than lazily sit and eat. He also demands that we always remember that it is His field we labor in, His work we are doing, and His grain He shares with us. If we do that, our riches can bring us happiness without bringing us destruction.
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