May Your Silver Perish With You
Brian Castner has written an excellent book called Stampede: Gold Fever and Disaster in the Klondike. In it, he chronicles the history of the gold rush to Alaska that occurred at the turn of 20th Century.
There had been an economic depression in the 1890s that was just starting to lift around the time reports came out of the Klondike that people were striking it rich way up north. Castner tells of disease, death, and dismemberment from typhoid fever, violence in cities like Skagway and Dawson City and on White Pass and Chilkoot Trails, avalanches, exposure, starvation, and drownings in the white water rapids of Lake Bennett.
They called it “gold fever” because men (and women) with no experience with the elements and no real plan threw all caution and common sense to the wind in order to strike it rich. The overwhelming majority of them wound up broke and broken.
Peter told a new Christian, “May your silver perish with you” (Acts 8:20). You may remember that Simon the sorcerer was a big shot in Samaria before the traveling missionary, Philip, came to town with the transforming message of Christ. The gospel turned the heads of men and women, including Simon (vv. 12-13). Peter and John come from Jerusalem to impart the miraculous gifts of the Spirit on the new Christians, and Simon was tempted by his past when he saw this (vv. 18-19). Did he see this power as a cash cow or a way to build his already renowned reputation as “someone great” (vv. 9-10)? Part of his sin was the abuse of his money.
There is more than one way that our “silver” may “perish” with us.
- Loving it (1 Tim. 6:10).
- Making it the stuff life is made of (Luke 12:15).
- Storing it up for ourselves and not being rich toward God (Luke 12:21; Mat. 6:19-21).
- Making it an idol (Psalm 115:4).
- Being greedy (Col. 3:5).
- Trying to find satisfaction by it (Ecc. 5:10).
- Letting it motivate us to do wrong (Amos 2:8; Mic. 3:11; Mat. 26:14ff).
- Choosing it over wisdom (Prov. 16:16).
It is said several ways, but God is trying to ensure our spiritual survival. He knows that wealth can become our god when it drives us or becomes our central purpose. He knows that not only is that futile and unsatisfying, but He also knows how destructive such desire is for the other people in the lives of those who are suffering from “gold fever.”
Paul describes it vividly, saying, “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:9-10).
Let’s not perish with our silver or with an unholy pursuit of it!
Distracted And Delayed By Baggage
On May 7, 2019, in a USA Today article about the crashed Aeroflot plane that killed 41 of the passengers onboard, Bill McGee wrote: “Reports from people on the plane indicate the evacuation may have been slowed by passengers grabbing their bags. Videos show passengers taking their carry-on bags with them as they exited the plane.”
The AFA said in a statement. “We will never know if more lives could have been saved if the bags were left behind."
In Luke 12:15, Jesus taught, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” The NASB translates the first part of the verse, saying, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed….”
Watching video footage of those passengers making an emergency exit with carry-ons in hand is a rather graphic illustration of Jesus’ point. Unfortunately, we do the same thing when we have the wrong priorities.
Paul teaches that greed can be a “snare,” plunging men into “ruin and destruction” that pierces them “with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). It’s interesting that Paul’s inspired counsel is to “flee from these things” (v. 11).
Consider that an inordinate focus on material things not only hurts you, it also affects the people that come along behind you. That includes your children, grandchildren, and the other people who are influenced by your example. They see what you value most and what has your greatest attention and affection.
Let’s be careful not to allow this world to cloud our judgment, making the things of this world seem more important than the souls of others. In reality, the stakes are even higher than an emergency exit from an airplane.
A Rich Man Brings A Suitcase To Heaven
There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.
An angel hears his plea and appears to him. "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you."
The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules. The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase and fills it with pure gold bars and places it beside his bed.
Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. St. Peter, seeing the suitcase says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"
But, the man explains to St. Peter that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough, St. Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one suitcase, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."
St. Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!!!"
It's difficult for us to comprehend just how worthless the things we value in this life will be in heaven. This story puts the real value of our so-called "wealth" in perspective. Stop clinging to mere pavement! Use this life to accumulate those things that you can take with you, things that will matter in heaven.
"Jesus looked at him and loved him. 'One thing you lack,' he said. 'Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me'" (Mark 10:21).