March 15

“Those who have abundant possessions, are accustomed to such things by education, may make better use of them without extravagance or waste than those who are unaccustomed to them or who do not have the capacity to utilize them.”  Robert Barclay (1648-1690)  Daily Readings from Quaker Writings, 3/15

As I read Barclay’s dissertation on what is lawful and not lawful for a Christian to possess I realized that I’d been looking at the end result of living debt free instead of the means.  I’ve always known that living beyond one’s means left you with a debt you may not be able to pay off.  This produces stress and is often the crisis that breaks up a marriage.  But now I’m seeing beyond all that and realizing that if you do not first earn the means and then live the lifestyle, you are in danger of believing you are entitled to these things.  The truth is, as Barclay points out, you will not have the capacity to utilize this new lifestyle you’ve created for yourself.  It’s in doing the work that prepares us to be able to handle the wealth.  If we live as though we are wealthy before we actually have earned the wealth, we will have a sense of entitlement that will only dig us deeper into our hole.  We will not be able to deprive ourselves of anything that our flesh desires. I can now fully appreciate what Paul meant when he said the love of money is the root of all evils. 

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.” 

1 Timothy 6:9, 10