ODJ: risky business
September 14, 2010
Money is put into risky investments that turn sour (v.14).
READ: Ecclesiastes 5:8-20
A recent study by the US-based Virginia Tech Transportation Institute reveals that texting while driving is risky business. The study concluded that the risk of being in a collision is 23 times greater for truck drivers who text. The Institute’s research team is recommending that texting be banned for all drivers.
If Solomon were alive today, he would definitely recommend that we ban a certain risk—dicey investments. He wrote, “Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost” (Ecclesiastes 5:14). Just preceding this verse and setting the context for its instruction, Solomon was condemning the act of “hoarding” (v.13).
The practice of stockpiling stuff out of personal greed can often be a prelude to investing in unwise things. The motives for doing both, along with the character of the individual committing the acts, are tainted.
Jesus condemned this type of greed when He said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them” (Matthew 6:19). He then told His disciples to invest instead in something that’s not risky—eternal treasure. For “wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (v.21).
The realization that all our treasures come from God leads us to take these points to heart (Ecclesiastes 5:19):
• Right investing—Hoarding and risky investments don’t reflect the realization that “we can’t take our riches with us” (v.15). They don’t reflect the heart of God.
• Acceptance—We should accept the material things we receive in life with gratitude and delight in what He has provided (v.18).
Let’s avoid texting while driving and steer clear of risky investments. Both lead to devastating results. —Tom Felten
Does your lifestyle reflect risky business or do you have a heart for God? Why does God hate greed?
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