True Wealth

I did not write today’s devotion.  It was written by one of the deacons in my church who is also a Sunday school teacher.  He wrote this in response to a lesson he had taught to his Sunday school class.  I hope you are blessed by it as much as I was. After reading his devotion you will better understand why I am so truly blessed to serve in a church which has such gifted and godly men with whom I may share the labor of toiling in God’s vineyard.

⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem ^[a] as well—the delights of the heart of man. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.  ¹⁰ I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. ¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2: 4-11

I taught on this text to a Sunday school class of 40 – 50 year old mature Christians. It occurred to me that any one of them could have taught this lesson using nothing but their own life experience.  I think God used me in a special way today to touch their lives, and He definitely used them to touch mine.

I am still learning about true wealth.  I realize how wealthy I am when my son, who just got his learners permit, drives me around town, or when my younger son makes a hard day at work disappear with his generosity and humor. My true wealth becomes abundantly clear when my four year old daughter snuggles in my lap watching Sponge Bob.  That I am truly wealthy is most clear when my wife wraps her arms around me from behind and kisses me on top of my bald head.  I truly value these things more and more with each passing day.

My experience is completely at odds with the world’s definition of wealth or success. I am happy to say I am not a wealthy man by the world’s standards.  I think that while we may know in our head what true wealth is, sometimes we forget what makes us truly wealthy in our heart. We also forget that many of the people we interact with everyday are in a tremendous amount of turmoil over their wealth, or a lack thereof. Everyday we come in contact with people whose lives are in an uproar because of the economic downturn. Many times these people have spent their lives (to the exclusion of family, friends, and God) pursuing wealth or success. The verses above were written by the wisest man to ever live.  He tells us the world’s system is meaningless.

Wealth is not the only thing in which some of us mistakenly place our faith.  Some trust in political systems, health regimes, and the list could go on and on. We wake up one day to find that the politician we trusted who had all the right sound bites cares less than the politician before him. We find that there is no difference in the political party we support than the one we did not support. What was healthy for us yesterday we are told by scientist is not good for us today.

Why is our faith placed in these and other things, so misdirected? Here once more the words of Solomon.

¹⁵ Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. ¹⁶ This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? Ecclesiastes 5: 15-16

Our faith is misdirected in these things because they are temporary. Although we toil for them they change like the wind. Wealth will disappear, political systems will change, and your health will fail you.  I too, dear reader, will fail you. There are people whom God will put you into contact everyday who either do not know this, or have forgotten. Perhaps you have forgotten, but the Good News about God does not change, nor does it fail.

¹⁹ God isn’t a mere man. He can’t lie. He isn’t a human being. He doesn’t change his mind. He speaks, and then he acts. He makes a promise, and then he keeps it. Numbers 23:19

The next time you have the opportunity to talk to someone remember that God has put that person there for a reason. It just might be your opportunity not to fail them! Tell them about the rock upon which you stand! Tell them about your God and His unchanging mercy, grace, and love! Tell them how to acquire the heavenly wealth that God has promised! Tell them that true success is not measured by promotions or fiscal independence! Tell them true success is measured by obedience and dependence upon God. Otherwise they may have to learn these lessons about His unchanging, but righteous judgments the hard way.