The Plumbline

Wealth is elusive - we seek it through career moves, investments, and maybe even through inheritance. Billy Graham once said, "When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." Many put all their hope and trust in the wealth they can attain on this earth, almost lording it over others who don't 'possess' as much as they do. Kevin Gates reminded us that "true wealth is not of the pocket, but of the heart and of the mind."  The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor. (Proverbs 18:11-12) Our wealth on this earth will never be a very strong defense. Inflation will dwindle what we have amassed, markets will crash our faith in what we have invested, and illness can destroy both our ability to amass or enjoy what we have laid aside. Our greatest wealth is what we find within relatio...

It was Socrates who reminded us, "He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature." Contentment evades so many of us today - always striving to get more, so we can have more, so we can be more, so we can get even more. The problem is that the journey toward 'more' is riddled with all kinds of potholes and switch-back turns we can get all tangled up in if we are not careful. Thomas Fuller reminds us, "Contentment consists not in adding more fuel, but in taking away some fire." Maybe it is time for us to think about what is 'fueling' our motion. Motion is good as long as it is in the right direction. Remove some the fuel that is taking us in the wrong direction and we may just find our journey is more enjoyable! But as for me, my contentment is not in wealth but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us. And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face-to-face. (Psalm 17:15) Seei...