Wealth: A Self-Made Prison
David
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What will one sacrifice when he is "in love"? The price is very
high when it comes to riches. What would one give in exchange for his
soul?[1] Whatever one gives himself to habitually and compulsively is
the object of his love. The deception of riches ensnares the one who
has a love for it. By what a man is ensnared, by this is he
overcome.[2] What has trapped him is his own internal decadence and
fallen sense of self-importance.
Most who attain to great wealth live in their own man-made confines of
loneliness and isolation. Private, gated entrances to exclusive
properties portray the deeper, underlying reality of what possesses the
souls of the rich. Like a top-security prison, the guards of
self-centeredness and pride work together as a blockade to those
outside its walls. The rich alienate and are alienated by their own
insatiable lust for wealth. Their castles turn out to be self-made
prisons in which they are beset with many sicknesses from constant
financial troubles and
anxiety.[3]
Those who place their confidence in their riches end up spending
enormous amounts of time worrying about the potential of losing what
they have. They will seek greater investments to secure their wealth.
Oh, security! Riches! It is like the wealthy farmer in Luke 12:16-21
who wanted greater and greater wealth in order to guarantee his future
prosperity and comfort. In order to secure what he owned, he tore down
one barn to build two. "Well done," the man said to his soul,
"Now I have much wealth stored up for many years to come; I can take
my ease and eat, drink, and be merry." What a fool! That night, his
soul was demanded of him, and who would enjoy all that he had hoarded
for himself?
[1] Matthew 16:26-27
[2] 2 Peter 2:19-20
[3] Ecclesiastes 5:12-