Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6: 19-21, ESV)
The PGA Tour has a retirement program for its players. Like other pension plans, this benefit is deferred compensation. You earn it now and receive it in the future. Compared to other major league sports, it certainly appears that the PGA Tour has the best retirement plan out there.
Recently, an article was written about the ten richest golfers of all time. You could probably guess who made that list. Yes, Phil Mickelson was near the top. The article did not indicate if Phil’s ranking was before or after the purported two hundred million he has allegedly received for joining the new, controversial LIV League.
One of George Harrison’s more popular songs, Got My Mind Set on You, is playing in the background of my mind. In it, he writes, “…it’s going to take money, a whole lot of spending money….” It’s no secret that all the hubbub surrounding the new Liv Tour is largely about money. For example, Dustin Johnson was awarded $150,000,000.00 to join Norman’s new venture. That is, indeed, “a whole lot of money.”
We could dip in and dip out of every sphere of life and discuss the centrality of money. In so doing, we could examine the tremendous good it can accomplish and the many evils caused by the inordinate and reckless pursuit of wealth. For example, Phil has been quite candid that his gambling addiction was “reckless.”
Jesus is not silent on this issue. He teaches, “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Contrary to some interpretations, money is not declared evil in Scripture. What Scripture does say is, “…the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). In other words, money is not the problem; it’s our heart’s preoccupation with money that leads to evil. Why?
Scripture teaches, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Now let’s be clear, Jesus is not saying that loving God is antithetical to having wealth, even great wealth.
Jesus cuts to the heart (pun intended) of the matter. No one can have two masters. Either Jesus is our master or not. If we follow Jesus, we and our wealth serve him and his kingdom. If money is our master, we are not serving Jesus. Jesus will have no part of that duplicity.
Recent coverage by Sport’s Illustrated cites Rory as saying, “Any decision you make in your life purely for money doesn’t usually end up going the right way.”
It remains to be seen if Norman and the Saudis will succeed in creating a worldwide tour around a fifty-four-hole events with shotgun starts. After Bryson and Patrick’s departure, it also remains to be seen if the PGA Tour will lose other members to lucrative contracts.
But here is one thing we can “take to the bank:” Money will never satisfy the heart. Solomon, who knew something about having a whole lot of money, once said, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money….” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Prayer – Jesus, by the power of your Spirit, cause our minds to be set on you.