Be sure to check out “Money-Money-Money” dated July 16, 2021.
History has recorded many interesting stories about people and how they handle prosperity when it comes their way. All too often prosperity destroys people and nations when they fail to handle riches with humility. Part I: Greed – looks initially at a dispute over an inheritance. One of two brothers appeals to a man in a position to offer objective advice on the matter.
An estate distribution was in view which favored one brother, leaving nothing to the other. The disadvantaged brother made his case known publicly so that a more equitable settlement might be achieved. The warning which arose from this encounter was to avoid the pitfall of GREED. The message was clear: earthly matters are of secondary importance to eternal matters.[1]
A story is then told of a wealthy businessman who had an extremely productive business. His company inventory of goods was bursting at the seams as he contemplated how he would handle the enormous overflow. His business savvy led him to the idea of tearing down his old warehouse and building a much larger facility in which to store his goods.
His conclusion brought a sense of self-satisfaction. Considering his future, he thought, I have a great deal of wealth to lean on. “I have it all” he said to himself as he pondered the steak and glass of wine he would soon enjoy for dinner. Then reality took center stage. That night the wealthy business tycoon would pass into eternity. All that he worked for in life was now useless to him, soon it would be given to someone else. The moral of the story told in the Bible (Luke 12:13-21) is pay attention to eternal matters before your life ends.
Figure this into your plans for eternity:
“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”[2]
[1] Daniel Goepfrich, New Testament Chapter By Chapter (Trust House Publishers, 2017), p. 78
[2] John 3:17-18