Christian Freedom #5 — Reliable Freedom

Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for God has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5

God tells us in this promise that he is both sufficient for us and satisfying to us. If he weren’t, what difference would it make if he stayed with us? He would merely be an albatross around our necks. His presence would compel us to love money so much that we would arrange our lives in order to gain as much benefit as money could provide. But God is infinitely more beneficial and more trustworthy than money. To prove this he sent Jesus to reconcile us to himself; and because of Jesus’ atoning death, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, pouring the love the members of the Trinity have for one another into our hearts. Our God is a god who works for those who wait for him. In contrast, when money is our god, we must work to secure its benefits for us. So if we will continually compare the stability, security, and satisfying activity of our committed God with the passivity, vulnerability, and volatility of money, our hearts will be free from the love of money, completely satisfied with God and his gifts.

Reliable Lord, open my eyes to see how faithful you are, and how involved you are in my daily life. Help me to see how anxious and weary are those who find their delight in what money can do for them. Keep me from idolatry. Amen.