1 Timothy 6:17-18 – As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be arrogant, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, laying up for themselves a good foundation for the coming age, so that they might lay hold of what is truly life.
As the coronavirus pandemic has spread, so has its economic impact. “Stay home” mandates have closed and greatly curtailed businesses. Employment and the markets have plummeted, taking personal income and retirement accounts with them. The diversity among “expert” opinions as to how far the economic downturn will go and how long it will last attests that such speculations amount to little more than guesswork.
What a sobering exclamation mark to the Bible’s warnings about the “uncertainty of riches” and the foolishness of “laying up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves [and economic downturns] steal” (Matthew 6:19-20), and death strips away whatever is left (Job 1:21; Luke 12:20)!
What a relief that, in Christ, we have an absolutely certain hope and refuge, throughout all the days of this life and the eternity coming, the Provider Himself! “My God will supply every need of yours according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19)!
Our financial anxieties and fears, however, expose our shift from setting our hopes on God to the uncertainty of riches, and from heavenly to earthly treasure. When we return to resting in our true Refuge, we will know peace, and can “be rich in good works–generous and ready to share”!
How absolutely fitting that our currency itself should remind us to not place our hope in it but “In God we trust”!
With whom will you share today what you hear God specifically saying to you in this matter?