Freedom #5—Confident Freedom

Free yourself 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 promises to be 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; so that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can have the Holy Spirit living in us, pouring the love the members of the Trinity have for one another into our hearts. Unlike all other deities that we might worship, our God is a deity who works for those who wait for him. In contrast, if we make money our deity, we must work to secure its limited benefits for ourselves. So if we will continually compare the stability, security, and satisfying activity of our committed God with the passivity, vulnerability, and volatility of money, we can free our hearts from the love of money, completely satisfied with God and his everlasting supply of gifts. No wonder David celebrated God’s path, which he knew would lead to an eternity of joyful pleasures from his gracious hand.

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