Creator, Father, King #314

True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

EVERY YEAR, FORBES PUBLISHES its much-anticipated “billionaires” list—aka the list of the world’s richest people. But have you ever wondered who the richest person in history was? Many historians theorize that the honor goes to—drum roll, please—Mansa Musa, a fourteenth-century West African king.

In 1312, Musa began ruling the Mali kingdom, which he expanded into a two-thousand-mile empire covering parts of nine modern-day African nations. All that territory provided Musa with enormous amounts of gold and other natural resources. Allegedly, during his Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, his caravan of sixty-thousand people flooded the market in Cairo with so much gold, the city fell into a twelve-year recession. Even his slaves carried golden staffs and wore expensive silk. The man was loaded!

Musa seemed to find contentment in his wealth. This calls to mind the wisdom and warnings of 1 Timothy 6:6-10:

True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

What’s It Mean?

Money is a gift from God. Money itself is not evil, but the love of money is (1 Timothy 6:10) because it elevates something created to a place of worship, and worship is reserved exclusively for God.

The love of money is sinister and spiritually destructive. It doesn’t announce itself and say, “Warning! I’m attacking you!” It’s much subtler than that, working its way into our hearts through greedy dark alleys and covetous back doors. If left unchecked, the love of money can consume us.

Today’s verse reveals how we can conquer this powerful temptation. When we truly find contentment in God and trust him for our daily provision (1 Timothy 6:8; Matthew 6:25-34), we will see money for what it really is—a blessing to be used wisely to meet daily needs and advance his Kingdom, not to hoard and accumulate personal wealth.

Want to be fabulously rich in a spiritual sense? Then be content in the Lord!

Now What?

Look for ways to use your money to bless those less fortunate than you.

Did You Know?

“Mansa” was a kingly title, like “Herod” or “Caesar.”