The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. Proverbs 10:22

In the U.S. we live in an extremely wealthy land. No one denies that. Along with that wealth came a wisdom to form a government that had checks and balances in place to prevent one branch from becoming too greedy for more power. But what we've built here in the U.S. can be taken away quickly if we're not careful, and I believe we're rapidly approaching that point. Republics rise and republics fall. We may think we have control over our destiny, but we don't.

Wealth, then, is more than money and material goods. Having family safe by your side is being wealthy. Becoming wiser each day is a form of wealth that money could never buy. Having clean water and plenty of food (even if it's only rice or beans) is wealth. Sleeping peacefully at night on a bed without gunfire raging through your village is wealth. Wisdom, peace, and safety are all intangible, but think of what your life would be like without them.

As the economy worsens people will lose everything they own. Many will take drastic measures because they had put their trust and worth in their portfolio. So the question for us is, are we content right now with what we have even if we were to lose it all tomorrow? If we're not content, it’s probably a good time to examine what we value.