Thought of the Day 01.19.09

Until recently, German industrialist Adolf Merckle was one of the world’s wealthiest men, with a fortune of over $9 billion and companies employing more than 100,000 people. But after several financial miscues and a sense of powerlessness in the face of the global economic downturn, he recently shocked the financial world by killing himself. The final straw seems to have been a loss of around $500 million in Volkswagen shares, a loss most of us would simply like to be in a position to suffer.

Unfortunately, this man learned a lesson we should all heed . When money is important, its loss is painful. But when money is our source of identity, significance, and security, its loss (even to levels most other people would envy) is devastating. And just like every other thing this world offers, money is an unreliable god, which is ultimately the reason that a wise man bases his life upon Christ, the only solid foundation which will never fail.