Monday, January 30, 2012

DOES MONEY PROVIDES SECURITY?


Security is a big issue these days. Drive-by shootings on our city streets, muggings in broad daylight, murders in the midst of busy restaurants – all these and more have left people understandably jittery. A survey taken in a major metropolitan area found that 53 percent of the more than 13,000 people who returned the questionnaire said they did not feel safe on that city’s streets. Twenty-seven percent of the respondents said they did not feel safe from crime while at home. Owen Hanson rightly observed, “Western civilization has advanced to where we bolt our doors and windows at night while jungle natives sleep in open huts.”

How have people reacted to the curse of crime on our streets and in our homes? They purchased extra locks for their doors, installed elaborate security systems and bought guard dogs. Those with sufficient resources have even hired personal bodyguards. Obviously, these people hope they can buy their safety. God knew all about this. In Proverbs 18:11 it says, “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his own esteem.”

Such a hope, however, is fruitless. Political assassinations are common despite armed soldiers present for protection. Well-known personalities have been killed despite their wealth: John Lennon, of the Beatles, was gunned down on a public street; Selena, a young and rising music star, was killed by the woman who had been hired to manage her boutiques; Maurizio Gucci, grandson of the founder of Gucci was shot to death in the foyer of a downtown Milan building. Money can give the illusion of security but not the reality.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Waiting on God and His Light in the Heart

By:   A. Murray “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they t...