Proverbs 10:2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death.

At first glance this seems to be talking only about money, but I think a wider reading is appropriate. Treasure is whatever we value highly and work to achieve. What Solomon is saying here is that the end does not justify the means, because if the means are wrong, the end will not be what you thought it was. People fall into this trap all the time, in every conceivable area of their lives. An easy example is sexual pleasure. Society has been increasingly emphasizing that to the point of absurdity, and as a result many, many people chase after it in every way imaginable. The result, however, has not been greater satisfaction, but rather emptiness, dysfunction, and broken lives. It is only when we see and relate to things according to God’s design that they fulfill the purposes for which God created them, for our genuine pleasure, satisfaction, and over-all blessing. Objective studies have shown clearly that happily married couples have more and better sex than those who don’t fit that description, but you’d never know it from reading most magazines. In the same way, someone who sees their finances as a trust from God and utilizes their financial resources to bless others is going to be far happier than someone who is focused on amassing more. Someone who seeks to increase their finances by gambling is never going to be satisfied, whether they win or lose in financial terms. This can be expanded literally to everything we could consider a treasure. If we want that treasure to fulfill its purpose, we need to get it the right way, following God’s laws.

I’ve never been one to chase money particularly, though I have been tempted a few times to buy lottery tickets (but haven’t done so). I’ve also been tempted to find sexual pleasure outside of marriage, and there too I’m deeply grateful for the Lord’s protection. However, as a pastor I’m constantly dealing with people whose brakes haven’t worked, so to speak, in these and various other areas. As a result, I am absolutely convinced that the end doesn’t justify the means! The devil is certainly “a liar, and the father of lies,” (John 8:44) and he deceives so many. Ultimately, the only real defense against a lie is the truth, so I need to be a channel of God’s truth to all who will receive it. As Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 13, if I fail to express that truth in love, in both word and deed, then I am no better than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. I earnestly desire that the Japanese people open their hearts to Jesus as their Lord and the Holy Spirit as their enabler, but even there I must not stoop to psychological tricks to get them to do things to satisfy my ego. I must keep my own focus on Jesus Christ and keep my own heart open to the flow of His Spirit, or any results I get will be hollow at best.

Father, thank You for this clear Word, particularly as I am about to prepare the message for Pentecost Sunday. You know what I would like to happen, but I know that I can’t possibly make that happen on my own. Help me remember that Johnathan Edwards read his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, pretty much in a monotone, but You still used it to trigger what is called today “The Great Awakening,” preparing America spiritually for the Revolutionary War. Help me be totally submitted to You so that You may use me to accomplish Your will, not mine, in Your way on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!