SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 6:10
(CEB)
The love of money
is the root of all kinds of evil. Some have wandered away from the faith and
have impaled themselves with a lot of pain because they made money their goal.
STORY:
In 1928 a group of the world's most successful financiers
met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The following were present: The
president of the largest utility company, The greatest wheat speculator, The
president of the New York Stock Exchange, A member of the President's Cabinet,
The greatest "bear" in Wall Street, The president of the Bank of
International Settlements, The head of the world's greatest monopoly.
Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth than there was in the U.S.
Treasury, and for years newspapers and magazines had been printing their
success stories and urging the youth of the nation to follow their examples.
Twenty-five years later, this is what had happened to these men:
The president of the largest independent steel company,
Charles Schwab, lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and
died broke.
The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten, died abroad,
insolvent.
The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard
Whitney, served a term in Sing Sing Prison.
The member of the President's Cabinet, Albert Fall, was
pardoned from prison so he could die at home.
The greatest "bear" in Wall Street, Jesse
Livermore, committed suicide.
The president of the Bank of International Settlements, Leon
Fraser, committed suicide.
The head of the world's greatest monopoly, Ivar Drueger,
committed suicide.
All of these men had learned how to make money, but not one
of them had learned how to live.
OBSERVATION:
Learning how to live is a challenge. Learning how to balance
living with the resources of living is entirely another matter. What drives us
from day to day?
Years ago I overheard a conversation between three USF med
students. They had just finished their rotation through the various fields of
medicine. They were discussing which kind of medicine they were going to
practice. It was a sad conversation because none of them spoke of the good they
were going to be able to do nor where their strengths/skills lie nor what
excited their minds and spirits. No, each one spoke about how much money they
would be able to earn in their particular field of choice. It is a matter of
judgment on my part, but I feel that those three med students were not going to
make very good doctors. The motivation was all wrong.
Pastors are somewhat guilty of the same mistakes. Years ago
during the gathering of clergy and laity at the annual conference I was struck
by the general conversations of my colleagues. It centered on size and salary –
the size of the membership, average worship attendance and the financial
benefits of serving their particular church. The following year I determined to
avoid the “standard” conversation starters/drivers which resulted in shorter
conversations and a lot of silence.
Money is a necessary evil in life. It is hard to live
without it. Even if we joined a religious order that required a vow of poverty
money still factors into putting a roof over our heads and food on the table.
Paul was speaking to Timothy about some things the young
believer needed to avoid. Love of money was at the top of the list. It creates
all sorts of evil if it becomes ones goal.
And so the question remains: What is our goal in life? What
drives us? What motivates us? What shapes our life? These are not easily
answered nor should they be. God means for us to struggle with them as we
determine how to spend the resources of today – time, talent, gifts and
service.
PRAYER:
Direct the paths of our mind and soul today so that we will
be motivated by you and not by our love of stuff.
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