money is like electricity

St John Chrysostom talks to us today in A Year with the Church Fathers about the power of money. Mostly he talks about how the rich are not really wealthy because they lose out on their heavenly reward.

But he reminds us that money is powerful. And if we're not careful, it can destroy us. Money is like electricity. If we're wired up right, then the power will flow THROUGH us and cause great things to happen. But if we're wired wrong, or if we just play around with it without knowledge, or if we get too much power without a place for it to go.... well, it will cause us a great deal of grief.

So if God chooses to bless you with some wealth (and if you're reading this, you probably are wealthier than most of the rest of the world), ask for His wisdom in using that power responsibly. To make the world a better place.

God, thank You for giving us wisdom to use wealth for good, and please don't give us so much that it corrupts us.