Ecclesiastes 5:10-11, 13-15a, 16 - He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? ... There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came .... This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind?
If anyone understood money, it was King Solomon—the author of this passage. He was known far and wide as a rich man—in his day, they said, "the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone" (1 Kings 10:27a).
And yet he is not happy. He points out that, as money increases, more and more people show up to get their share of it; and one bad decision means a man can leave nothing to his heirs. He can't take even a penny with him when he dies. So what is the point of heaping up money?
Maybe this is why Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11) —that is, just enough of what we need right now, but not so much that we pile it up for the future and begin to put our faith and trust in it. If God provides for us daily, then we learn to trust and hope in God for all the good things we need in life.
But this is hard for us, because we prefer to trust in things we can see and handle and understand. God is invisible, and we cannot control Him—how then shall we trust in Him to give us what we need?
God knows that this is hard for us, and that is one reason He came into our world as the Man Jesus.
Through the Gospels, we can see God in action and get to know Him. We can see Jesus caring for the sick and the poor, welcoming the outcasts, challenging those who oppressed others, comforting those who grieved, forgiving the guilty and ashamed. We start to see how trustworthy He is—how He never breaks a promise, how His heart runs to help people in trouble, even if it's their own fault. And of course we see the greatest thing He did for us, by giving Himself into death for our sake and then rising again, so that we could become children of God.
Someone who loves us that much is someone we can trust without holding back. And because He lives forever, He will always be there to help us when we are in need. With a Savior like this, we can hold our money lightly—as a tool, not a god. We know our real safety is in Jesus, not money.
WE PRAY: Lord, help me to trust in You for everything I need. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. What do your friends trust in to give them a good life?
2. Are those things trustworthy? Can they fail?
3. If someone trusts in Jesus above all else, how safe is his confidence?
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Chronicles 33-34 Acts 23:16-35
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