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Psalm 62:10
If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. (Psalm 62:10)
Our sermon this morning deals with gambling, so this bit of advice from David is pertinent to that discussion. To set our heart on something is to focus on it and depend on it. Jesus also warns us against the folly of preoccupation with material things: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-20).
A perpetual lie of Satan is that abundance will allay worries. Actually, the opposite is true. The more I have, the more I stand to lose if things go south. The wealthy constantly worry about investments, the market, global influences on economic stability, employee grievances, lawsuits, PR issues, legislative threats, competition, etc.
Jesus exposes the nature of worldly things: “moth and rust destroy … thieves steal” (Matthew 6:19). If, by the grace of God (or the curse of the devil) we came into a windfall, we should take care that our new wealth does not become a substitute for true well-being. This is one of the deceptive pillars of gambling.
