Wealth and Understanding

Judges 9-10; Psalms 49; 1 Corinthians 16 

“A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.”

Psalm 49:20

In the wealth of the West we have exchanged the understanding of God’s Word for a reliance on wealth and power. The psalmist reminds us that every person dies and takes nothing with them. The issue is not our riches; it is our reliance on them. The opportunity, freedom, and choices that wealth brings deceive us into thinking these same realities exist in eternity. God doesn’t need wealth and is not impressed or influenced by our wealth. Our understanding of what God values and how he determines what has eternal value will transform how we live with wealth, relationships, our time, and our priorities. 

If we have to choose between riches and understanding, which choice would we make?

God’s love for each person, and his value of relationship with us, moved him to send his son Jesus, to live among us in poverty and yet, with great power. The incarnation of God in Jesus gives us the living example of what understanding from God’s perspective looks like. We can’t just gratefully receive the salvation of Jesus without understanding how he lived life a better way so that we, too, can live life a better way.

“Lord Jesus, you are wise, understanding, and you are my example, for your glory.”