Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all who inhabit the world, both low and high, rich and poor together. My mouth speaks wisdom. My heart's meditation brings understanding. I turn my ear to a proverb. I explain my riddle with a lyre.
Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me. They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches. Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God - since the price of redeeming him is too costly. One should forever stop trying! So that he may live forever and not see the "Pit." (Vs. 1-9) Emphasis mine.
Anyone trusting in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. Proverbs 11:28
Money is tight in our household right now. My guess is that ours is not much different from others living in these tight economic times. I just read in the morning paper that Mitt Romney was at a fundraiser in the northeast at the home of a billionaire. Tickets to the function were $50,000 a person or $75,000 per couple. An entire year's wages blown on dinner with Mitt. I understand the importance of politics in our nation today, also. But I had a hard time fathoming how one could get enough dinner guests with that kind of money together to raise millions...with an "s"... for the Republican Party.
Last week we assessed our assets and it gave me a chance to fear. Lucky me. What if we live to be in our nineties? Will we have enough? One thing is for sure. Bill and I will not be trusting in our wealth! But we should also not fear. Have to remember good old Belshazzar again. For all his confidence in the next twenty years of his life, it ended abruptly a few hours into a great celebration of his wealth and security. As Jesus said, I could gain the whole world and lose my eternal soul. In fact, gaining the false security of wealth might make me miss my need for gaining my eternal soul. Ernest Borgnine died yesterday at the age of 95. He won an Oscar for his role in the film "Marty" in 1966. Until then he was not a star. In later years Mr. Borgnine put his wealth and fame into perspective when he said: "The Oscar made me a star, and I'm grateful. But I feel had I not won the Oscar I wouldn't have gotten into the messes I did in my personal life." Money doesn't make us happy. Maybe just the opposite, because when it becomes an idol, it takes the place in our hearts created to be satisfied only by a relationship with our God.
Whether we try to gain our redemption with money or good works - an abundance of both - we are trusting in our ability to buy what is too costly. We will never have enough of either to purchase our ransom from sin. It costs a life. And the Lord Who was willing to give His for us, is uninterested in our money or our self-righteousness, though they may be immense in volume and quality, if we think they will buy what He has already paid for. It is easy to get caught up in the desire for money as a means of making everything all right. Or to buy into the idea that in order to be righteous we have to have an abundance of charitable works that we can hang around our necks as a sign of our humility and worthiness. But if that is what we trust in, we will always be in fear - that it is not enough.
To be really rich is to know the One Who gave His Only Beloved Son as the ransom for us. It covers everyone! Rich and poor. Big and small. This treasure, which is above all treasures, cannot be bought! So it doesn't matter how much I have. I could give everything....even my body to be burned (I Corinthians 13) ...and it would be unnoticed if I don't recognize it is not my doing that brings my salvation. I must forever stop trying to buy what has already been paid for! Respond to the love that is necessarily behind such a trade-off. Because, just as I cannot buy my way into heaven, I cannot buy my way out of the Pit. Of course, that is what we are ransomed from! And, according to Mr. Borgnine, the very thing we trust will bring us all we want just might take us to the very rim of the Pit itself.
So, as soon as that ugly fear raised its head last week, I chose to trust in my Redeemer. He has always been our Provider. Never has He taken His eyes off of us....even when we looked the other way. His commitment to me predates my very earthly existence. His love for me is predicated on the fact that I am His child by the blood of Christ. I am a ransomed, redeemed and restored princess, daughter of the King of Kings, whose life remains in the hands of the Sovereign God of all. Of course this cannot be purchased with our silly money. Not thirty pieces of silver or billions of American dollars. For it is priceless.
Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me. They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches. Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God - since the price of redeeming him is too costly. One should forever stop trying! So that he may live forever and not see the "Pit." (Vs. 1-9) Emphasis mine.
Anyone trusting in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. Proverbs 11:28
Money is tight in our household right now. My guess is that ours is not much different from others living in these tight economic times. I just read in the morning paper that Mitt Romney was at a fundraiser in the northeast at the home of a billionaire. Tickets to the function were $50,000 a person or $75,000 per couple. An entire year's wages blown on dinner with Mitt. I understand the importance of politics in our nation today, also. But I had a hard time fathoming how one could get enough dinner guests with that kind of money together to raise millions...with an "s"... for the Republican Party.
Last week we assessed our assets and it gave me a chance to fear. Lucky me. What if we live to be in our nineties? Will we have enough? One thing is for sure. Bill and I will not be trusting in our wealth! But we should also not fear. Have to remember good old Belshazzar again. For all his confidence in the next twenty years of his life, it ended abruptly a few hours into a great celebration of his wealth and security. As Jesus said, I could gain the whole world and lose my eternal soul. In fact, gaining the false security of wealth might make me miss my need for gaining my eternal soul. Ernest Borgnine died yesterday at the age of 95. He won an Oscar for his role in the film "Marty" in 1966. Until then he was not a star. In later years Mr. Borgnine put his wealth and fame into perspective when he said: "The Oscar made me a star, and I'm grateful. But I feel had I not won the Oscar I wouldn't have gotten into the messes I did in my personal life." Money doesn't make us happy. Maybe just the opposite, because when it becomes an idol, it takes the place in our hearts created to be satisfied only by a relationship with our God.
Whether we try to gain our redemption with money or good works - an abundance of both - we are trusting in our ability to buy what is too costly. We will never have enough of either to purchase our ransom from sin. It costs a life. And the Lord Who was willing to give His for us, is uninterested in our money or our self-righteousness, though they may be immense in volume and quality, if we think they will buy what He has already paid for. It is easy to get caught up in the desire for money as a means of making everything all right. Or to buy into the idea that in order to be righteous we have to have an abundance of charitable works that we can hang around our necks as a sign of our humility and worthiness. But if that is what we trust in, we will always be in fear - that it is not enough.
To be really rich is to know the One Who gave His Only Beloved Son as the ransom for us. It covers everyone! Rich and poor. Big and small. This treasure, which is above all treasures, cannot be bought! So it doesn't matter how much I have. I could give everything....even my body to be burned (I Corinthians 13) ...and it would be unnoticed if I don't recognize it is not my doing that brings my salvation. I must forever stop trying to buy what has already been paid for! Respond to the love that is necessarily behind such a trade-off. Because, just as I cannot buy my way into heaven, I cannot buy my way out of the Pit. Of course, that is what we are ransomed from! And, according to Mr. Borgnine, the very thing we trust will bring us all we want just might take us to the very rim of the Pit itself.
So, as soon as that ugly fear raised its head last week, I chose to trust in my Redeemer. He has always been our Provider. Never has He taken His eyes off of us....even when we looked the other way. His commitment to me predates my very earthly existence. His love for me is predicated on the fact that I am His child by the blood of Christ. I am a ransomed, redeemed and restored princess, daughter of the King of Kings, whose life remains in the hands of the Sovereign God of all. Of course this cannot be purchased with our silly money. Not thirty pieces of silver or billions of American dollars. For it is priceless.
No comments:
Post a Comment