July 19, 2022

Hebrews 13: 5 (NIV)

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.”

When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.*

“Money talks. But it don’t sing and dance and it don’t walk.”* It’s a catchy line from an old song but actually, money doesn’t talk, either. Every action we attribute to money is carried out by human force. We put our trust in wealth but it can’t promise never to leave or forsake us – and if it could make such a promise, it would be lying.

I won’t lie to you: I have been happier with money than I was without it. But the writer of Hebrews is not revealing the secret to happiness. Keep yourself free from the love of money and be content with what you have, he says.

Remember the Ten Commandments? What is the tenth one? “Don’t covet.” Rich or poor, we all face the struggle with discontentment that arises from covetousness - wanting more than we have. But we have a powerful weapon in our arsenal: trust in God. Just as with any weapon, the more you use it, the more proficiently you handle it. If you put your trust in God today, you will trust him more tomorrow. He will never leave you or forsake you, even if your money walks out the door.

Have we come to the place where God can withdraw His blessings and it does not affect our trust in Him?*