Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday November 16, 2011

A man was moaning due to the loss of some money due to the current economy, which is to say the least the worst boom we have had in years. He moaned in a vain effort to comfort himself, "Oh well, a fool and his money are soon parted." Whatever comfort was gained was soon blown to smithereens by his compassionate wife who sent a quiver of arrows into his heart with, "Honey, a fool and his money were lucky to get together in the first place."

It is amazing how the society in which we live deals with the concepts of loss, luck and life. In my youth I constantly heard, "Hey, man you gotta roll the dice." Another gem was "If you want to get ahead, never draw to an inside straight." I'm sure you can feel the biblical wisdom contained in this philosophy.

Life is not designed to roll the dice or do foolish things like drawing to an inside straight. Rather we who know the Lord are to depend on the leadership of the Lord via the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and the power of prayer, especially when Christians who are the real deal join in agreement with you concerning the matter or person on which your prayer is focused.

True wealth according to the teaching of Moses and Christ is the result of doing things God’s way and acknowledging that it is God who gives the power to get wealth. Wealth for want of a better name that is gained via any sort of deception is not godly wealth, but is merely the largess of greed gained through unbiblical means.

The possession of true wealth brings with it the responsibility to use it wisely, to acknowledge the Lord with the first fruits thereof (tithing for one) and understand God holds the steward of His wealth accountable to God for the use thereof. A man who suffered much, Job, went through the agony of the loss of prestige, money, holdings and even his sons and daughters to death and finally his physical health. He wrote, actually more like exclaimed in Job 1:21 "And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Job during the epoch of his loss didn't come off with trite, "Well that's the luck of the draw" or "That's how the cards fall." Rather he stated a truth that is often used negatively but when properly understood it is a truly positive and liberating grasp of reality. A loose paraphrase, mine, has it; I came with nothing, I take nothing with me, I enjoyed the people and things He gave me along the way, using them for His glory and my sustenance and now I go to give account.

Job understood and wise people understand that all of life things and people are a temporary loan from God. He calls in the things and people on loan at any time. Blessed be the name of the Lord. We who are left behind are called by conscience and memory into account as to being stewards of God's largess toward them.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2011 Use with credit

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