The lure of money

People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction (1 Timothy 6:9).

Years ago when men went to Alaska in search of gold, some prospectors penetrated far into the interior of the state. There they found an isolated miner’s hut, as quiet as a grave. Entering it, they discovered the skeletons of two men and a very large quantity of gold heaped on a rough table. They also found a letter describing the events leading to these deaths. The deceased men were so eager to get rich that they ignored signs of an early winter setting in. The more they mined, the more gold they found. Then one day, a fierce snowstorm swept over their mining site. They could not travel because of persistent blizzard conditions. Their food ran out. Their cabin was so small that there was no room to get any exercise. Eventually they became so weakened that they lay down to die, surrounded by the gold that had trapped them there.

There are many people like those miners. They work hard to make money so that they can buy whatever they want. They work hard to climb the organizational ladder so that they can have the thrill of calling the shots. They work hard to be the best looking, most admired person they can be so that they can have their egos stroked by being the object of everyone’s attention. But in their obsessive quest for more, more, more, they fail to notice the warning signs of a fast approaching winter. They don’t pay attention to their blood pressure. They are too busy to attend the funerals of friends they graduated with. They cover up wrinkles with makeup or disguise them through plastic surgery. They ignore the approach of death, and when a hospital bed or nursing home refuses to let them go, what good is their money, achievement, or fame? Can you buy life when your body is worn out? Can you order death to stay away? When only hours of life remain, are the kind of people you want at your side the sort who only care about your good looks and impeccable fashion sense?

Relationships are what give meaning to life. No amount of money, influence, or admiring looks from strangers is worth more than the love of a person who appreciates you for who you are. There is nothing more valuable than someone who will accept you, forgive you, and challenge you to improve in every way. And the person who loves you like this better than anyone else is Jesus, God’s Son. To look anyplace else for true happiness is to pass up a golden opportunity.