Focal passage: Proverbs 23:4-5; 30:5-9
Contentment and security rest in God, not in money.
Imagine you are about to scale your first climbing wall at a local gym. Slightly nervous about the dangers of dangling 50 feet in the air, you diligently inspect your harness to ensure your safety. With buckles fastened and cords tight, you bravely begin your ascent, comforted by the high quality of your security measures.
Nearing the top, you come to a disturbing realization. The hooks on your harness may appear to be perfect, but they were never connected to your partner’s rope on the ground. The impressive straps around your waist provided only a false sense of security. They were pointless, and any protection you felt during your climb was in fact a complete delusion.
Security is paramount when climbing a wall, but these gyms are far from the only places security is important. Turn on your television this evening or listen to the radio on the way home and you will inevitably be bombarded with numerous messages about finding inner peace and security. According to these voices and many others, accumulating wealth and material possessions is the ultimate key to contentment. Save for retirement and invest wisely, they tell us, because this is the only way to find peace in an ever-changing world.
According to Proverbs 23:4-5, such a strategy will always be fruitless. We should never wear ourselves out in attempt to gain riches, because all our earthly wealth and possessions will eventually disappear. While it is true that God very well may use money to provide for our needs and allow us to bless others with our abundance, trusting in money for true contentment is like placing our trust in a climbing harness without attaching it to the rope. It will inevitably end in disaster. True hope can only be found when we find our refuge in the God who made us, loves us, and promises to provide for us.