24th February 2024

24th February 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ecclesiastes 5v10-17)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Money makes the world go round but the love of money is the root of all evil. Scripture never declares money to be sinful but the Bible certainly offers consistent warnings about how money captures the human heart. We are rarely satisfied with our wage and there are very few of us who would say no to a pay increase but we should always be aware that silver and gold have a nasty habit of becoming idols.


The one who loves money and wealth is never satisfied (v10) and yet, as possessions increase so do the bills and wealth gets eaten away (v11a). The taxman must get his slice of your cake and all you can do is watch it happen (v11b). There is something to be said for the man who works hard and sleeps well (v12a), but the lover of money is kept awake by his already full stomach which desires more and more (v12b).


Furthermore, Solomon had witnessed another “grievous evil” under the sun (v13a). He had seen people hoarding wealth only to lose it all in a bad venture (v14). That man’s son was left with nothing (v14b) and the man died unable to take anything with him. Ultimately, this is the reality for both the rich and the poor. Naked we come from our mother’s womb with nothing in our hand (v15) and to the grave we will go leaving behind everything we have worked for (v16). Indeed, it gets even worse when we realise that life is often filled with vexation, sickness and anger (v17).


Again I stress that there is nothing wrong with working hard and earning money. The dangerous path is the one that sees wealth as the be all and end all. Human hearts are so easily captured by pounds, shillings and pence and we have witnessed all too often the damage that this can do. I’ve seen families torn apart by a squabble over a grandmother’s will, I’ve heard of brothers who grew to hate each other over the division of their father’s farm and I’ve watched people put all their effort into the pursuit of wealth paying no heed to the things of God.


It was Judas Iscariot who walked with Christ for three years and yet still couldn’t help himself from stealing from the moneybag (John 12v6). Brothers and sisters, consider your own heart’s relationship with the cash in your pocket and quickly repent if money has become an idol. Jesus was clear that we should strive for a treasure in heaven that cannot fail (Luke 12v33). May this be our goal for we cannot serve God and money (Luke 16v13). 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q77 What is required in the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing.