Daily Devotions
The Vanity of Wealth
Reading for July 11th: Ecclesiastes 5-8
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
A display in a museum in Deadwood, South Dakota, includes an inscription scrawled many years ago by a beleaguered prospector: "I lost my gun. I lost my horse. I am out of food. The Indians are after me. But I've got all the gold I can carry."
This prospector is like many of us. We're doing everything we can to accumulate wealth for ourselves, but we cannot see the vanity of our pursuit.
Jesus told a parable about a man who enjoyed a bumper crop. He tore down his barns to build bigger ones. He said to himself that he would have ample goods to enjoy for many years. Now he could relax and enjoy the good life. But he didn't know that that very night his soul would be required of him (Luke 12:16-21).
What are you seeking? What drives you every day? Is it a promotion? More money? More stuff? All of this is worthless if we don't use these things for God.
Instead of hoarding up gold for ourselves, let's see how much of it we can give away.
Father, help us to see the vanity of pursuing wealth and possessions.
