“And He said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.” Luke 12:15
Paper and ink. It shouldn’t have that much sway over us. After all, a few of our fingers could tear it to shreds, or a simple toss into the fire would destroy it. Yet, we value this paper and ink. With the proper blend of colors, paper and pattern—it becomes currency. Money. It’s just dollars and cents that are to be used to procure provisions, take care of needs and sometimes, even fulfill desires. Why, then, does it give us such a feeling of power or significance? How is it that having a dollar in one’s wallet can give a sense of satisfaction? How can jingling change in one’s pocket give a sense of self-worth? How does having actual bills or coins in our hands make us feel empowered when negotiating or make us feel better about our circumstances? How is this possible? It’s just paper and ink, but we have attached significance to it that goes beyond its face value. Our society says those who have it are good—those who don’t, aren’t.
Christ warns us in our reading today that we must beware of covetousness, wanting the things we don’t have. It is compromising our standards of integrity, decency or true values to get something. Covetousness is assigning the responsibility of meeting our needs to an inanimate object. God is our Provider, not paper and ink. Anything else that we trust in is an idol that cannot speak, hear, or move to meet our needs. God takes care of us, not the money. God may use paper and ink to supply our needs, but the provision is still from Him. The money has no hold over us and when He asks us to give it to meet others’ needs, or He asks us to let go of it for some other reasons, we must be willing to trust that He will take care of us; that is His job, not the responsibility for dollars and cents.
Be wise with the investments God has entrusted to your care. Do not give more value to money than it deserves and find your significance in the God who loves you, cares for you and He will always find you to be much more valuable than the dollars and cents you have in your pocket!
Thought provoker: What is your perception of money today? Do you truly trust God to provide for you? Thank Him for His generous and gracious provisions in your life today and put that money in its proper place!
Lord, thank You that You are my Provider, and that You hear, love, speak and move on my behalf because You are my loving Father. Thank you that I do not deserve all You have done, and are doing, in my life—please help me to focus my gratefulness and significance on Your devoted love for me and nothing else today. I love you! Amen.
Hope you have a good, Godly day!
Tammy
simplydevotions 
What a great reminder that God is in control – and He provides for us. It’s really easy to forget that when you see the food prices increasing, the gas prices skyrocketing and the cost of living and unemployment rates. We need to be wise stewards with our resources – time, money, talents, etc – and using them all to bring honor and glory to God. Take care!!
So true, Cher. Thanks for your input! 🙂
Ouch! My toes hurt. 🙂 Although I don’t hold on to money, I constantly struggle with with what I spend it on. There definitely is a balancing act that needs to be maintained. Thanks, Tammy, for your creative devotions. I’m enjoying them!