In 1271 the renowned Italian explorer, Marco Polo, set out for the mysterious land of China. Twenty years in China acquainted Polo with a land far more advanced in many ways than Europe of that day.
For the first time, Polo got to see gunpowder, paper, silk cloth, and other Chinese inventions.
One of the most unusual Chinese inventions, in Marco’s opinion, was paper money. Europeans of that day used only coins made of valuable metals such as silver or gold.
Polo marveled at how the little slips of paper could be as valuable as silver and gold. It further surprised him to learn the money was valuable because the ruler, the great Kublai Kahn, said so.
The great Kahn said the money was valuable and enforced its use by law. No one dared defy the Kahn’s authority.
Today, paper money has much the same status it did in the Kahn’s empire. Our money more or less represents a certain amount of buying power. It’s only valuable because the government says it’s to be used and because people have confidence in it. In recent years, plastic money (credit cards) has taken the place of most paper money. Again, the whole system is built on trust and “faith” in the dollar, Euro, Yen, or whatever currency a person uses.
Should the government collapse or should people quit believing in our money system or should inflation go wild and unchecked, our paper and plastic money would become worthless.
We don’t need to know the shaky facts about our money system to realize that money is not the most valuable thing in life. Life’s valuables can’t be computed in dollars and cents.
The Book of Proverbs gives us God’s insight into life’s valuables. “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth un- derstanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. . . . Incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. . . . The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Money may be helpful sometimes, but true wisdom, knowing and obeying the Holy One, is all that will be important in the final analysis. Many wealthy men have died in mental and emotional turmoil. Somehow the material glitter of life became strangely dim for them.
True wisdom, the fear of the Lord, is eternally valuable. We human beings so often attach value to the valueless as far as eternity is concerned. It’s so easy to attach flimsy “paper money value” to many things in life.
Some give their money, their cars, their clothes, or their education top value. Boys sometimes value their looks or their abilities, girls their charm. These things might be all right to have if we can use them wisely. But they can easily become more valuable to us than eternal things. Of what do our lives consist—obeying God or obeying mammon (money)?
“Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). Of what does true living consist? Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). In 1 Timothy 6:6, he emphasizes what we should seek in life, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
What will it be for us? paper money ethics or true wisdom and godliness? Do certain things— money, fame, beautiful physiques become so valuable because society says so?
How much better to seek godliness. Godliness is the greatest gain because God’s Word says so. God’s promises to the one seeking wisdom and holy living never lose their value.
I want to trust the true valuables, eternal things that keep their value because the King says so!