We accumulate money and possessions because they provide a feeling of security against the uncertainties of the future. But even at their best, riches are unreliable. They give no real assurance in the present world and absolutely none for the eternal world. That is why God describes as a fool the rich man who imagined that he had “plenty of good things laid up for many years ” only to have God call the loan on his life. He not only doesn’t control his wealth; he doesn’t control his life. His money could not shelter him from the certainty of death.
Someone shrewdly observed that we fear death in proportion to what we have to lose. If we store up treasure for ourselves on earth, we stand to lose everything. The Lord’s counsel is, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:20-21).
Contentment is the product of security in God, the product of trust in His character and His promises.
