Keeping God at Arm's LengthSample

For many believers, what’s keeping God at arm’s length is not a lack of desire to know Him better. Rather, it is the suffocating clutter of material wealth and comforts – to say nothing of the desire to possess it – which crowds Him out in our lives. If the drive to earn more for the sake of having more comes at the expense of the eternal riches of salvation and a genuine relationship with our Heavenly Father, then our priorities are askew.

Solomon, in his wisdom, decried the quest for wealth as both unceasing and unsatisfying. (Ecclesiastes 5:10) Jesus explicitly warned His disciples not to let material greed become a source of enmity between themselves and God. (Matthew 6:24) The author of Hebrews agreed, urging believers to be content with what they have, remembering that it is ultimately God Himself who provides for our wants and needs. (Hebrews 13:5)

Don’t discount the danger that greed and material excess can pose to your relationships! Consider just how often couples fight over money… or how many marriages have ended due to financial issues… or how many bitter divorces have been dragged out over the splitting of assets. If money and possessions have the potential to suffocate our human relationships, how much more so might they hamper our relationship with God?