Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
‘See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!’”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, June 24, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I confess that on occasion I find myself fantasizing about what I would do if I won hundreds of millions of dollars in the lottery (I don’t actually play, so, my chances aren’t too good). What’s interesting about these mental exercises is that no matter what ridiculous sum I come up with to begin with, by the end of my musing, it isn’t enough. And I’m not talking about yachts and private jets. NONE of that. In my oh-so-righteous fantasies, I’m solving the world’s problems with all that money. You know, after I have every last need and whim met for myself and my kids and my family members and my friends and my local church and… Yet no amount of money I could ever hope to have as an individual can solve the world’s problems. In fact money, in and of itself, can’t solve problems at all! It’s people’s use of money resources that matters. It’s just and equitable distribution of resources, and so so much more. When I fall into the trap of thinking money will solve my problems or your problems or the world’s problems, I am taking refuge in wealth, rather than in God. It’s only with God’s help that we can change our behavior as a society.
Do I find myself putting too much reliance on money?
![1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24], God’s Care for the Widow](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/bf37035e-33d5-439f-a0d6-a68b02d0f1bc/24-11-03.jpg)
