What do John D Rockefeller, King Solomon, Henry Ford, and Joseph Stalin all have in common? Two things. First, they are all on the list of the twenty wealthiest individuals who ever lived. Second, they are all rotting in the ground.

While the blessing of money can do a lot of things, it cannot prevent death or buy one’s way out of it. Jesus’ words this week warn against allowing anything - whether a love for money or anyone or anything else - to fill our hearts and crowd out the love of God and love for God. Instead, let our hearts be filled with what serves us in this life and qualifies us for the next: the Word of God.