“Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 11:4 ESV).
Wealth is useful when facing human justice. It pays for attorneys and even judges of a certain type. Yet, riches do not profit when we face the judgment seat of God. All the treasure in the world is useless on that day. As one has said, “You never see a hearse towing a UHaul.” However, this is not a diatribe against affluence, but a warning against short term thinking. Worldly wealth only gives the illusion of security, the instant we breath our last, that fantasy evaporates. Worldly currency has no value in heaven.
But righteousness, or “godliness” as the apostle Paul calls it, “is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Tim. 4:8). Therefore, pursue righteousness, which is only found in Christ Jesus. For God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
How do we exchange our sin for this heavenly currency of righteousness? Believe. Believe in what God has done for you in Christ. As as it was said of Abraham, “He believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” So shall it be for us. Only the righteousness that comes from believing in Christ delivers from the final death sentence.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are glad to have our hope in Christ, rather than worldly wealth, as we face the Day. For Christ is our hope. Help us to delight ourselves in You alone, knowing that You will give us the desires of our heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.