Monday, October 19, 2015
Matthew 6:19 Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?
How much is enough? How much money do you need? How many possessions are enough? It can seem like a moving target. You might tell yourself, "If only I had enough to buy a new car or make a few home improvements, then I would have enough. Then I'd be satisfied." But you know what happens. You drive the new car home, and a few months later a newer model arrives in the showroom, and suddenly the "old" one isn't good enough. One home improvement makes something else look substandard and you still feel deprived. You begin to wonder whether God is being stingy with His blessings.
The problem, however, is not with God and His providence, but with us. Often we expect more from material things than they can realistically supply. Money and possessions cannot give lasting happiness or security. If we trust that they will, we will always in the end be disappointed. "Whoever loves money never has money enough" (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
While the Lord graciously provides us with daily bread for this life, He also gives us the real, eternal riches of salvation. Forgiveness, peace with Him, and a blessed future in heaven are all free gifts earned for us by Jesus on the cross. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).
So the Lord urges: "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19). And when it comes to earthly things, Solomon got it right when he prayed: "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you ... Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8-9).
How much is enough? Whatever the Lord in His mercy supplies to us each day. With the free gift of salvation and the promise of daily bread, we are richer than we think!
