False Security

False Security

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“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

How secure does your financial statement make you feel? Or your home, cars, success, or even your children’s success? Have you ever looked around at your life and thought, “Well, okay, I may have made some mistakes, but at this point I am in great shape, because I have made some really good decisions. So even if things take a downturn, I am still okay?”

Well, you are not. 

Not if that’s your foundation. 

Back in my development days we bought a track of land in a superior location in Greenville, with a regional builder already signed up to take all the lots. We had a $30,000.00 “rolling deposit” from him – a lot of money forty years ago – and all I had to do was manage the construction and development of the subdivision.

We were “guaranteed” a huge profit in eight months – guaranteed. What could go wrong?  Our builder started selling his houses like hotcakes and urged me to develop the remaining lots to stay ahead of his wildly successful house sales.

I was young, smart, sharp, and just about broke my arm patting myself on the back and looking in the mirror with admiration.

Then a national banking crisis hit, our builder lost most of his business credit line, and he walked away from our contract. His forfeited $30,000 deposit barely covered one month of interest carry at the bank.

How could this happen? I had done everything right. The builder had done everything right. I was already spending my share of the profits. But things entirely out of our control almost bankrupted us both.

NIL – Transfer Portal

A well-known football coach, who has won two national championships with two generational quarterbacks, followed that up by recruiting the #1 QB recruit in the nation. That QB turned out to be a bust. But never fear, he again landed the #1 QB, but he was also a bust. What are the odds?

Then NIL hit college sports, quickly followed by the transfer portal, something just about everyone agrees is a blasted mess. And a perennial powerhouse topples from the top to an almost mediocre middling. 

No one saw that coming.

My point? 

If you, if I, think that we are on solid ground because of our “stuff,” whatever that may be, we are on thin ice. And the cracks can accelerate from minor to major almost instantly.

Now, I know you will say you agree with me, but be careful, inwardly you may not.

Please, ponder that for a moment.

Jesus had some thoughts on this. When responding to someone asking about money, he said this:

Jesus replied, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

After expounding on this Jesus concluded with this warning:

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Hebrews 12:15-21)

Worldly security will wobble on you with no warning, but Jesus’ ever-present power will always be rock solid. Be honest with yourself: On what – or whom – is your wobbly security teetering? A little introspection may surprise you.