Sharing the wealth

Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you. – James 5:3

One of the most popular TV programs in the US is Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? But the amount of money to be won is a mere pittance when compared with the amount suggested by the title of another contest: "I Wanna Be A Gazillionaire Geek". Since 1989, the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has offered a prize to students who team up to create the best plan for starting a business. And what’s the incentive? Public welfare? Community service? Alleviating poverty? No, the goal is to make money simply to be rich.

Although Scripture doesn’t condemn wealth, it certainly warns against the pursuit of money as an end in itself. Our Lord strongly denounced putting our confidence in riches as a source of pride and security (Matthew 6:24; Luke 12:15). Therefore, our prayer should be: "Give me neither poverty nor riches" (Proverbs 30:8).

And what if the Lord blesses us with resources beyond what we need? The apostle Paul urged believers to work with their hands "what is good, that [they] may have something to give him who has need" (Ephesians 4:28). That’s the principle of stewardship – sharing our wealth to help others.

– Vernon C. Grounds

We give Thee but Thine own,

Whate’er the gift may be:

All that we have is Thine alone,

A trust, O Lord, from Thee. – How

Wealth is a double blessing when you share it with others.