But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 1 Timothy 6:9
One can imagine some temptations that each of us will likely never face. The minister who gets up on a Sunday morning and preaches to tens of thousands of eager listeners to every word spoken, and thinks "I'm really saving many for the kingdom this day!" As a brother in Christ pointed out in his posting this morning, that minister ain't saving no one, Jesus does the saving. There can be a temptation by population when a ministry becomes big in numbers.
Pursuit of wealth, as our verse for today points out, may work out a bit too well for some few persons in our world. "Where did all these billions come from?" the billionaire asked the butler one morning. And suddenly it seems the temptations of all that loot come home to roost. Have you money to spend and to lend? There will be those glad to help you spend it and others showing up to borrow that wealth. And no one faces more difficulty in getting paid back than those who others think can afford to lose some weight off their wealth. This may lead to bitterness, and stinginess, and that whole host of other lusts and such, like the verse tells us.
So, to the prayer place to thank God for the temptations I don't face today!
Bucky
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