Ephesians 5:15 (ESV)
¹⁵  Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

There is not anything wrong with having material things.  There is not even anything wrong with being rich, as long as being rich is not the goal of your life.  Paul once said, “…those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts” (1 Timothy 6:9).  However, if wealth is gained honestly and by hard work, there is nothing sinful in it.  Furthermore, material things can be helpful if they are used wisely, that is, if we master them instead of allowing them to master us.

One thing that all the riches in the world cannot do is help us with our relationship with God.  If we do not live according to God’s will, our riches cannot come to the rescue.  

Proverbs 11:4 (ESV)
⁴  Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

We will all have to answer to God for the lives that we live.  On the day of judgment, it will not matter if we were rich or poor in this world.  What will matter is if we lived righteously before God.  The question is what is more important to us—riches or righteousness?

To choose riches over righteousness is a form of idolatry (Matthew 6:24; Colossians 3:5), and is unwise, not only for the obvious reason of sinning against God, but also because it is to choose the temporal over the eternal.  No matter how many riches we accumulate, they will not last.

Proverbs 23:4-5 (NKJV)
⁴  Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! ⁵  Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

To choose righteousness over riches is to choose life over death.  Since the book of Proverbs was written during the Old Testament dispensation, the blessings and curses of it are generally physical, and it is usually true that righteous living can prolong life.  Noah is an extreme example of this.  God said to him, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation…” (Genesis 7:1).  The righteousness of Noah resulted in him, and his family, being delivered from death.

Living righteously is far more safe and secure than living wickedly in this world.  However, the more significant application of Solomon’s words is spiritual.  If we live righteously, we will maintain our fellowship with God, escaping the spiritual death that begins with being separated from Him, and ends with the second death, which is to be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).

You can choose riches over righteousness if you want, but all the riches you enjoy now will not deliver you from the second death.  Do you really think that is a wise choice? Let’s all walk wisely by choosing righteousness over riches and live with God forever; then, we will enjoy the riches of heaven that will never pass away.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.