Why wealth is uncertain

In the gospel of Luke, Christ told a parable of a rich man whose land yielded a great crop, too much for him to store in his barns. So the man built bigger barns and stored the harvest there, thinking his abundant harvest would sustain him for many years.

Jesus then said that this man was a fool for hoarding what he had rather than being rich toward God.

It seems as though Paul's words to Timothy in today's reading were inspired by this story, known as the parable of the rich fool. The rich man trusted in his wealth to provide for him. His hope was misplaced and it ultimately led to his demise.

There is a danger when reading these verses to believe God has something against wealth, but this is not consistent with Scripture. Wealth, in and of itself, is neither bad not good.

The trouble arises when we place our trust in wealth, thinking that it can sustain us and remove our need for God.

If we have the proper perspective and view possessions as a tool to do good works in Christ's name, we can use that wealth to "lay up treasure" for ourselves in eternity.

Ultimately, God is interested in your attitude and actions regarding your wealth, much more than the number in your checking account.