Tainted Wealth

Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life. (Proverbs 10:2)

I found myself revisiting an old medical TV series over the past few days where more than one of the characters were quite entangled in 'making money', sometimes at the expense of others. As depicted by their characters, their absolute greed drove them to do things that were totally outside of the reason they ever got into their profession as doctors. They were so focused on fame and fortune; they lost sight of their calling. Wealth sometimes has a way of 'undoing' us - actually changing our focus from what we know to be 'true' and 'right' in our lives. Perhaps this is why God reminds us we cannot have our eyes on both wealth and God - the former one will eventually erode away at the relationship we have with him.

Tainted wealth is that which is 'ill-gotten' - it might have started out quite innocently, but the more we pursued the wealth, the more it consumed our focus. Eventually, we find that the 'pull' of fame and fortune just isn't satisfied - there is never 'enough'. While the characters on the TV show are fictitious, the struggle is quite real in our world today. There has always been a drive for 'more' since mankind came to be on this earth. That 'drive' led them to do unthinkable things, all in the pursuit of what they would never attain. That is how sin works in our lives - it gets us following desires that are never satisfied and whims of fancy that can never be appeased until we let go of them.

Sin isn't appeased easily, though. The enemy of our souls has no desire to let us go easily. His intent is to confuse us as to what truth really is, where we might find absolute peace, and how it is we might let go of all that doesn't allow our continued focus on God alone. Wealth and fame are two very powerful 'lures' that are not easily rejected. As much as God warns us to avoid the pull of these two 'lures', we sometimes cannot resist them. We are like silly fish, following whatever moves in front of us, not even seeing there is one big hook on the end of that lure! Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will not be so easily lured into the dangers the enemy lays before you. Just sayin!