Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Strength and Compassion”
Our Bible verse for today: “Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.” Proverbs 1:19 (NRSV)
Our thought for today: “An obsession with wealth depletes your strength and hardens your heart.”
I believe Jim Carrey is the Jerry Lewis of our generation. Truly, he is a great comedian and an unusually talented actor. Although many of his routines are painfully silly, there can be little argument about his remarkable skills at physical comedy. Jim Carrey is also very famous and fabulously wealthy.
But I read an interesting quote from him the other day about his fame and wealth which will probably surprise a lot of people. He said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
Jim Carrey is talented and famous and rich beyond his wildest dreams, but none of that has made him happy.
As Bible-believing Christians that news about Jim Carrey shouldn’t surprise us. There are few things the Bible teaches more about than money and possessions and the overriding lesson is that great wealth does not equate to great happiness.
In Proverbs 1:19 Solomon (the richest man in the world in his day), began his book of Proverbs with this note about the danger of becoming preoccupied with money and possessions. He essentially says that such a preoccupation will become a drain on your life. The pursuit of it will sap your strength and harden your heart.
The fact is that God has blessed us with money and possessions so we can then use them to bless others and to further His work here on earth. Yes, we can enjoy our wealth and possessions too, but we are not to become greedy, stingy, or preoccupied with money and things. Doing so will distract us from the things that really matter and we will end up spiritually, emotionally, and relationally impoverished. This is what Jim Carrey and so many others like him discovered.
It’s true – an obsession with wealth and possessions really does sap our strength and harden our hearts. The way to correct that is to correct that is to focus more on God and people, and less on money and things. More about this tomorrow.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 