‘Godliness with contentment is great gain.’
People hoard money like they are going to live forever! How much does one need to be satisfied and live a good life? No amount of wealth, luxury and possession can guarantee peace and inner contentment. True riches come from the ability to meet needs without seeking for recognition or applause. Think about this fact; when we die, our money remains in the bank, yet, when we are alive, we don’t have enough money to spend. People have pierced their souls, joined secret cults, done all manner of crime and evil just to have money, but they never seem to have enough!
A report says, “We only use 30% of our resources and acquisition, the rest (70%) is for others to spend or remains unused when we die. Look at Nigeria for instance, we are so rich yet so poor. why? There is no shortage of money- it’s just in the hands of a greedy and corrupt few. David Oyedepo stated “The best cars are found on the street of Africa, but the poorest nations in the world are found in Africa.” This is a paradox. Suffering in the midst of plenty!
Oseola MCcarty (1908-1999). She worked all her life cleaning other women’s houses. She lived very frugally… and in 1995 she donated $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi for scholarships. She said “I want to help somebody’s child go to college. I’m giving it away so that the children won’t have to work so hard, like I did”. “In 1998, she was awarded an honorary degree from USM, the first such degree awarded by the university. She received scores of awards and other honors recognizing her unselfish spirit, and President Bill Clinton presented her with a Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second highest civilian award, during a special White House Ceremony …”
Look at the Panama paper issue; it’s all about greed and selfishness. In Africa, while our leaders (past and present) and politicians have stolen us blind and transferred the money to places like Panama, Switzerland, and America, the land is wallowing in abject poverty.
People will forget how much money you had, but will not forget your generosity and how you made them feel. Money is only a blessing if you have it. It becomes a curse if it has you and occupies your heart! If all you do is think about money and more money, you will never know real peace. According to Bob Gass, “Money is like manure. If you let it pile up it stinks, if you spread it around, it helps things grow.”
Money is meant to be in the hands to do all kinds of good things, not to be stacked somewhere for generation yet unborn. Let’s be wise and keep money under our control.
Lesson: -How much does one really need to be content?
-What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?
