Trust Only In God

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 18:10

The last twenty years have seen Americans lose a lot of money. There were the bankruptcies of companies like Enron and WorldCom, in which investors and employees lost out; the bursting of the “dot.com” bubble in 2000; and the fiasco of the housing bubble in 2008, which led to the economic recession. Trillions of dollars of wealth have evaporated in these and other financial catastrophes.

Tragic as these losses have been to those directly affected, they should come as no surprise to anyone. Everything man builds on earth is constructed with hands tainted by sin—like building a house on a foundation made with cheap cement instead of certified concrete. Any tremor will likely bring it crashing down: “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1). Everything in this world is destined to pass away, either now or in the future. The Bible reminds us that only the truth of God’s Word will endure forever.

Our challenge is to invest in this world only what we can afford to lose in this world. That means entrusting our salvation and peace of mind to no one except God.

Heaven will pay for any loss we may suffer to gain it; but nothing can pay for the loss of heaven.

RICHARD BAXTER