“Alberta gambling revenue expected to outstrip oilsands royalties”. That was the headline on a CBC news story last week. The Minster in charge of Gambling explained that, “Alberta has a relatively young population and we have the highest wages in the country so there is more disposable income”. Think about that for a moment. They have the highest wages in the country and yet record numbers of people are gambling in an effort to try to get more.
It is no secret that blessings can become problems when we misuse them or pay an inordinate amount of attention to them. Drugs, for example, can be medicinal and have helped to prolong our lifespan, but they can also be abused. Similarly, sex was created by God to be a beautiful thing between a husband and wife, yet our culture’s obsession with all things sexual has turned it into a problem for some and something that is considered “dirty” in general. In the same way, money can be used well or it can be badly misused.
No one would argue that there is anything noble in being lazy or careless when it comes to looking after ourselves. In fact, Paul taught the Thessalonians, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). It is good to take responsibility for your livelihood and to provide for your family.
However, a constant obsession with money or a need to compete and have more than anyone else, can cripple lives and harm families. A focus on my needs alone makes it difficult to be generous and to see the needs of others. Thankfulness and contentment are hard to find when money is at the centre of everything.
Author Philip Yancey points out that the Bible asks three basic questions about money…
1. How did you get your money (legally or illegally? Justly or unjustly)
2. What are you doing with it? (Helping others or just yourself)
3. What is your money doing to you?
Those three questions, particularly the last one, deserve some thought.
As Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
With great blessing comes great responsibility.
It is no secret that blessings can become problems when we misuse them or pay an inordinate amount of attention to them. Drugs, for example, can be medicinal and have helped to prolong our lifespan, but they can also be abused. Similarly, sex was created by God to be a beautiful thing between a husband and wife, yet our culture’s obsession with all things sexual has turned it into a problem for some and something that is considered “dirty” in general. In the same way, money can be used well or it can be badly misused.
No one would argue that there is anything noble in being lazy or careless when it comes to looking after ourselves. In fact, Paul taught the Thessalonians, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). It is good to take responsibility for your livelihood and to provide for your family.
However, a constant obsession with money or a need to compete and have more than anyone else, can cripple lives and harm families. A focus on my needs alone makes it difficult to be generous and to see the needs of others. Thankfulness and contentment are hard to find when money is at the centre of everything.
Author Philip Yancey points out that the Bible asks three basic questions about money…
1. How did you get your money (legally or illegally? Justly or unjustly)
2. What are you doing with it? (Helping others or just yourself)
3. What is your money doing to you?
Those three questions, particularly the last one, deserve some thought.
As Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
With great blessing comes great responsibility.
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