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REFLECTION

“Seeking peace in wealth” is the theme for our reflection. The phrase “seeking peace in wealth” conveys the idea that true peace and contentment are not found in material possessions or financial success, but rather in godliness and contentment rooted in God’s providence.

Beloved in the Lord, there is nothing wrong with working and engaging in business to create wealth, but there is everything wrong with our lives being driven by the obsession with wealth and wealth creation. We lose our peace and live in a state of insecurity and anxiety because we are constantly fighting to create more to sustain what we have or restlessly protecting what we have made. Paul admonished us that in our pursuit of wealth, we must learn that “…godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (1 Timothy 6:6-7) In other words, fear of God and trust in His providence is enough to give us peace in the process of wealth creation.

Biblically, there is a difference between obsession with wealth creation and relying on God by obeying His commandment to work and be productive. Obsession with wealth creation can lead us to employ any means possible to create wealth without relying on God’s providence. This leads to the lack of godliness and contentment and breeds anxiety and self-destruction. It is for this reason that Paul wrote, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

However, the natural consequences of having faith in God, genuinely working and being productive, lead to the kind of wealth that gives contentment and peace. This is the godly way of creating wealth. It is for this reason that we are told in Proverbs 10:4 that “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Hard work and diligence are important parts of godliness, but more importantly, trusting God to be the source of our wealth is where contentment and peace are guaranteed. Moses’s caution to the Israelites remains timelessly relevant when he said to them, You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) It is safe to even add that creation and enjoyment of wealth comes from God, for it is possible to even create wealth without enjoying it. This is the truth expressed in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 when the writer said, “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This, too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness…”

In summary, we have discovered that the Bible does not support the common conception that having a lot of money will automatically lead to happiness and peace; rather, the Bible teaches us that hard work and godliness bring contentment, peace and happiness. Again, wealth is from God; hence, let us not become obsessed with wealth but continue to trust Him, even as we work hard and in His own time, He will make us wealthy.

PRAYER

May the Holy Spirit grant us godliness, contentment and peace in the pursuit of productivity and wealth. Amem