The Greatest Gain on Earth!
by Peter Horrobin
“I made £29,000 from £400 in four months!” So screamed the bright red letters on an envelope which came in the mail this week. Inside were details of a great new betting programme which was ‘guaranteed’ to make money for the enthusiastic gambler! I didn’t waste much time reading it, but it did make me think about the vast number of people there are in this world whose contentment is only measured in how much money they are making and how they’re making it.
The love of money, says Paul, is the root of all evil - not money itself, but the love of it (1 Timothy 6:10). For the love of money is the beginning of idolatry. And idols will always demand their allegiance – and they never bring contentment. If you make money your goal, it will become your god, and you will never be satisfied with what you’ve got (when and if you get it), as it’s the process of making money that is the real idol. So, once you’ve got what you wanted, you have to try and get more to satisfy that inner addiction to your false identity as a money-maker.
On the other hand, godliness is something we cannot achieve by our efforts, it is only achieved through submission of our wills to the will of God and allowing Him to change us from the inside out. You will never see a mailing advertising £10,000 worth of godliness at a bargain price! It cannot be bought.
To be content with godliness is an extraordinary blessing, for therein lies the key not only to life on earth, but life in Heaven. For as our Scripture reminds us, no matter how much money we have we cannot take it with us – any of it! But godliness goes with us. It is the currency of Heaven and we can’t leave it behind. So a godly person has every reason to be content. They have treasure in Heaven that the gamblers on earth could never gain – even if they broke the bank of Monte Carlo a thousand times over!
Let’s fix our eyes on gaining treasure in Heaven and be content with whatever material goods we have here on Earth.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that godliness is the real treasure of life. Help me not to focus on things I cannot take with me when I die, and be content with your provision for my needs here on Earth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Peter Horrobin is the Founding and International Director of Ellel Ministries. The work was originally established in 1986 as a ministry of healing in the north-west of England, but today the work has spread round the world, with Ellel Centres in over thirty nations. Peter has been doing lots of writing recently, including the "Journey to Life" series which can be purchased online at sovereignworld.com.
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