Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19
"Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (v. 19).
Charles M. Schwab rose to the presidency of one of America's largest steel companies and quickly amassed a multi-million dollar fortune. He could do anything he desired, travel anywhere he fancied, have anything he coveted, and impress anyone he met. He built magnificent homes, threw lavish parties, played at high stakes gambling, and had a string of extramarital affairs. His life style brought him nearly to bankruptcy, even before the onset of the Great Depression. During the last five years of his life, he lived in a tiny apartment on borrowed money.
How different the life of George Mueller! Entirely dependent upon God's provision, Mueller drew no salary but supported his family on a small portion of the unsolicited offerings he received. God entrusted him with the many thousand English pounds he used to care for over 10,000 orphans in five orphanages and to provide Christian education to over 120,000 children in 117 schools. Mueller heeded the counsel of today's passage and gained eternal and true riches. We can do the same as generous and wise stewards of all God entrusts to us. (Joyce L. Cooper)
Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ!
Who would not gladly endure
Trials, afflictions, and crosses on earth,
Riches like these to secure!
- Fanny J. Crosby
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose" (Jim Elliot).
This devotional is the Tuesday, December 3, 2013 entry of Opening the Word.
Image Courtesy of Cristiano Galbiati, rgbstock.com
