Miserable People — Morning Devotions

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Transcript

It was the popular actor and martial artist Chuck Norris who once made the remark, Some of the most miserable people I know are some of the richest people in America. They are the most miserable individuals I have ever seen. I don’t know exactly who he is referring to, but the observations make me think again about personal wealth and happiness.

I’ve heard it said money is not the secret to happiness, but it can probably help a bit. I can’t argue against that theory after all.

Would you prefer to be poor, well off, or rich. You’ve probably heard the phrase money can’t buy happiness, to which I would add, but everyone wants to find out for themselves. One of the most held beliefs is that more money will make you happy. James Hayes was working as an overnight security guard back in 1998. Remember, he won $19 million playing California’s Super lotto game. He was 35. He became the second largest lottery winner in that county.

With guaranteed annual payments of $684,000 for the next two decades, the future looked very bright for the young James Hayes. When he was interviewed with the Los Angeles Times, he shared his plans to buy a new car, move into a luxury house in California. He’d already sent his two weeks’ notice to his employer saying, I’m going to blow the money. But then his world came crashing down. His ex-wife took off with half the jackpot money, and he developed a heroin habit that cost him $1000 a week, and he resorted to robbing banks to keep up his lifestyle.

And then in 2018, James Hayes pleaded guilty to bank robbery and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

Becoming rich doesn’t always guarantee success, does it?

It was Spike Milligan with his deep sense of humour who said, money can’t buy happiness, but it does bring a more pleasant form of misery. But we seem to have this idea that wealthy individuals are naturally happy and full of joy. After all, don’t they have everything that we don’t have to keep them free from worry and care with all that money?

Why do we automatically believe that the more money we achieve, the happier we’ll become? Who says that? We believe that if we accumulate enough, we can protect ourselves from the uncertainties of life. Now there’s nothing wrong with having money or saving money, but there’s something wrong with an obsessive love for money.

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Saint Augustine, put it like this, where your pleasure is, there is your treasure. Where your treasure is, there is your heart. And where your heart is, there is your happiness.

A lot of people yearn after money because they think if they can make enough of it, they can be secure. But the Bible tells us something that is radically different. For example, Solomon in the Old Testament was the richest man in the Bible. And yet it was this guy who wrote, He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income. This also is vanity. That’s from Ecclesiastes chapter 5. King Solomon had great riches, and yet he was not happy. He used his money to purchase for himself horses from Egypt, the finest food, many women, and despite having all these things.

He was still unhappy, and it wasn’t until later in life that Solomon realised the very thing that would make him happy, and that is to follow God and keep his commands. You can read about that in Ecclesiastes 12. In Ecclesiastes 5:10, Solomon had written, He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income. This also is vanity.

In the New Testament, we see a reading from 1 Timothy chapter 6, people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by the many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and some people craving money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. Once you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord, you are rich already because you’ve already got everything that you could ever need or want. Knowing Jesus brings lasting joy into our life that money simply cannot. Forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life are all given to you. You as soon as you place faith in Christ, and no amount of money can buy these precious gifts.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, I don’t want to be grouped as one of those miserable people who have just too much money and not enough security and contentment. And I know that money is never going to buy me real happiness. Only the inner peace of knowing Jesus will keep me from wanting more and more. I pray for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

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