Millions

Somebody in Texas is $94 million richer today.

$94 million.

I know, I know. They won’t get all of it. Taxes will eat a good bit, and if they take the lump sum payout, they’re going to get more like $50 million. Somehow they’ll just have to carry on, right?

$50 million, earning 5% interest, equals $2.5 million annually.

Do you know how much money $2.5 million a year really is? It’s almost $7,000 in income ---- EVERY SINGLE DAY!!

That’s a lot of trips to the coffee shop. Heck, I might even buy everybody a round with that kind of cash flow.

I heard a preacher talking about the “mega millions” jackpot this week. “It’s $94 million, you know…I think folks look at that number and think, ‘all my problems would be over if the numbers on this ticket just hit…’”

All my problems would be over if…

That line of thinking is the path of destruction, down which we human beings are all too willing to walk.

What could $7,000 a day not fix, after all?

It would be fun to find out, huh?

Maybe not.

Just ask Bud Post. “I wish it never happened,” he says. “It was totally a nightmare.” The horrific experience he references is that of winning $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988. Poor guy.

I really mean “poor” guy. He’s poor again.

A former girlfriend sued him and took part of his winnings. His own brother hired a hit man -- yes, a hit man, to kill him so that he could collect inheritance money. He felt forced to fund failed business ventures for other siblings that lost more money and further worsened their relationships.

Within one year of winning the lottery, he was $1 million in debt.

Oh yeah, and he had spent time in jail for firing a gunshot over the head of an over-zealous bill collector.

Believe it or not, there are many, many more stories just like Bud’s.

“All my problems would be over if I…”

…ate that cookie/brownie/ice cream (sorry, my baggage)…
…bought that car…
…got that job…
…had that boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife…
…got that title…
…wore those clothes…
…made more money…
…had more power…
…made everybody like me…
…won that $94 million…

Wrong.

Doesn’t happen.

Sorry.

Peace of mind and a problem-free life aren’t for sale. You can’t buy them anywhere, not even Wal-Mart. Not even for $94 million.

Jesus said:
‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.’

Please don’t think I’m trying to get preachy (not easy for a preacher). I cannot claim inoculation against the human temptation of thinking that enough of the right stuff can make life problem-free.

Money’s not evil. Learning how to live with it is one of the most important tasks we ever face. I’m convinced that the first step toward healthy living with money is realizing what it can and can’t do.

It can give you lots of options, but it can’t help you make the right choices.

It can fund a lot of good work, but it can’t make your heart right with God.

It can pay for some fun experiences, but it cannot make you happy.

It can bring lots of things into your life, but it can’t put them in the right order.

First things first. “…Strive first for the kingdom of God,” Jesus says. That kingdom is the one of grace, the one of forgiveness and redemption. It’s the kingdom of love and holiness and peace --- and that kingdom isn’t for sale.

Songwriter Bob Franke said it best…

“...But if god felt a hammer in the palm of his hand
Then god knows the way we feel
And then love lasts forever
Forever and for real.”

One thing can plug “the hole” in the middle of the best, most problem-free life. It’s God’s love, and it’s absolutely free for the asking.

With that gift, all the other stuff falls into place. Without it, all the “mega millions” in the world won’t do the job.

Now, ain’t that a kick in the pants? Yeah, it is.

Kick away, Lord. Drop kick us through the goalpost of perspective.

Grace & Peace,
Adam