Dear Friends,
Today’s passage title reads “Trusting Money is Foolish” (Psalm 49 NCV Biblegateway.com). Jesus was and is a fisher of men, but Satan also fishes for men. Which bait will we take? If we are not careful, we will put our trust in money and think it can fulfill our desires and make us happy. You have heard of the Publisher Clearing House and Lottery winners, who even after winning a large sum of money, still wasted it all and never found true happiness. Today’s Psalm has wisdom for us to understand. Verse 4 tells us it is a riddle, but if we read between the lines, we can figure it out!
Again, the title tells us that “trusting in money is foolish”. First, I don’t think that someone who trusts in riches and wealth literally thinks that if they die or get sick, they can save their life by buying some cure and or getting a spell from a witch doctor. Of course not, but there are people that live life to make and have money to be happy, they live to get more wealth and possessions, and they are addicted to the chase of it all. It can become a like a drug addict’s drug.
People get caught up in serving money and not God. The scriptures tell us we can’t serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). We have to choose one. One can see the obvious foolishness in trusting and serving money. Though it may satisfy a natural desire that we have for a time, it does not fulfilling an eternal promise; it only meets our temporal want. The Bible also says that “sin has pleasure in its season” (Hebrews 11:25); but again, it meets a temporal want or desire and not a true need! We can get caught up in feeding and serving things instead of God. Don’t be fooled; you cannot serve God and something else at the same time. Anything can become and idol to you. This is why you need to guard your heart and steps and seek God to avoid taking the bait of Satan!
Chasing money is a trap that many people fall into without seeing it at first. I’ve been there and done that; therefore, I can speak from experience. There is nothing wrong with wanting and having a home, car, and a vacation from time-to-time, but when you want something so badly that you go beyond what you need to get it it is s a trap the devil sets for us all. If you must have the newest cell phone because of want and not need, you have taken Satan’s bait. If you do whatever you can to get a guy or a girl, well, you just took the bait of Satan. If you lie to your parents to do something, instead of doing what is right; well, you just took the bait of Satan.
Run from evil and temptation (1 Peter 5: 8-10); don’t grow weary in doing the right things (Galatians 6:9). Don’t be deceived by Satan the crafty serpent (Thessalonians 5:22). Remember that the truth is that the enemy comes to lie, steal, kill, and destroy you, but Jesus has come that you may have a more abundant life (John 10:10). This abundant life is more than salvation, though salvation is an awesome gift never to neglect (Hebrews 2: 1-4), but remember to take the right bait. God promises an abundant life and help in troubles..
Psalm 49 - New Century Version (NCV)- Trusting Money Is Foolish
For the director of music. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Listen to this, all you nations;
listen, all you who live on earth.
2 Listen, both great and small,
rich and poor together.
3 What I say is wise,
and my heart speaks with understanding.
4 I will pay attention to a wise saying;
I will explain my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I be afraid of bad days?
Why should I fear when evil people surround me?
6 They trust in their money
and brag about their riches.
7 No one can buy back the life of another.
No one can pay God for his own life,
8 because the price of a life is high.
No payment is ever enough.
9 Do people live forever?
Don't they all face death?
10 See, even wise people die.
Fools and stupid people also die
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves will always be their homes.
They will live there from now on,
even though they named places after themselves.
12 Even rich people do not live forever;
like the animals, people die.
13 This is what will happen to those who trust in themselves
and to their followers who believe them.
Selah
14 Like sheep, they must die,
and death will be their shepherd.
Honest people will rule over them in the morning,
and their bodies will rot in a grave far from home.
15 But God will save my life
and will take me from the grave.
Selah
16 Don't be afraid of rich people
because their houses are more beautiful.
17 They don't take anything to the grave;
their wealth won't go down with them.
18 Even though they were praised when they were alive—
and people may praise you when you succeed—
19 they will go to where their ancestors are.
They will never see light again.
20 Rich people with no understanding
are just like animals that die.
listen, all you who live on earth.
2 Listen, both great and small,
rich and poor together.
3 What I say is wise,
and my heart speaks with understanding.
4 I will pay attention to a wise saying;
I will explain my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I be afraid of bad days?
Why should I fear when evil people surround me?
6 They trust in their money
and brag about their riches.
7 No one can buy back the life of another.
No one can pay God for his own life,
8 because the price of a life is high.
No payment is ever enough.
9 Do people live forever?
Don't they all face death?
10 See, even wise people die.
Fools and stupid people also die
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves will always be their homes.
They will live there from now on,
even though they named places after themselves.
12 Even rich people do not live forever;
like the animals, people die.
13 This is what will happen to those who trust in themselves
and to their followers who believe them.
Selah
14 Like sheep, they must die,
and death will be their shepherd.
Honest people will rule over them in the morning,
and their bodies will rot in a grave far from home.
15 But God will save my life
and will take me from the grave.
Selah
16 Don't be afraid of rich people
because their houses are more beautiful.
17 They don't take anything to the grave;
their wealth won't go down with them.
18 Even though they were praised when they were alive—
and people may praise you when you succeed—
19 they will go to where their ancestors are.
They will never see light again.
20 Rich people with no understanding
are just like animals that die.
Please take the time to reflect and comment:
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