Our two grandchildren ages 5 months and 3 years are visiting us from Canada. It is great fun to have little children in the house again. Our five month old grandson is just beginning to be interested in toys. Everything he can get his hands on goes right into his mouth. We know that many of the things he wants to put in his mouth are harmful to his health, but when we take them away from him he lets out a loud bellow. How often do we bellow when God takes away from us something we want but would be harmful to us?

God really does know what is best for us, just as we know what is best for our little grandson. If we let our grandson have everything that he wants he would soon be sick. God in His wisdom does not give us everything we want either. Solomon wisely said, ”Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

Both extremes are dangerous. Riches really, are a snare. Paul told Timothy that ”they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Many times we have seen the truth of these words of Solomon and Paul. We have watched a young brother prosper in business, and as his riches increased his love for the Truth decreased. It happened so slowly and subtly that they did not even know it was happening themselves until suddenly they found themselves no longer interested in the things of God.

There are some little words in Paul’s comment upon riches that should be noted carefully. The first is that he says ”they that will be rich fall into temptation.” It appears that he is condemning those who deliberately make a goal of becoming rich. There is no doubt that riches are a snare and those that have money have temptations and problems that never confront the poor, but there seems to be an emphasis here on those who deliberately seek riches. The second phrase that is often over looked is that it is ”the love of money that is the root of all evil.” People often misquote this verse saying that ”money is the root of all evil.”

Again the distinction is being made of loving money rather than just having some. It has been said that there is only one group of people who love money more than the rich and that is the poor people. This can be true. We don’t necessarily have to possess it to want it. This takes us back to Solomon’s point of the two extremes. The very poor may desire money so much that they will sin in order to get some. We can see now the wisdom of Solomon’s request of neither poverty nor riches. Nearly all of us want more than we now have, but let us trust in God, who really does know what is best for us, and be content with what we have. Our little grandson at the tender age of five months is not content with anything for very long. Let us hope that our years of experience have taught us that God really does know what is best for us, and knowing this we can exclaim with Paul, ”I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.