“Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him.” (Prov 19:4 NIV)

Are the friends of wealthy people truly quality friends?

A teacher in Canada was dirt poor one day, and the next, he was a millionaire. Although he hadn’t planned on becoming rich, he did. Living from cheque to cheque, at the end of the month having barely enough funds to purchase food, he decided one day to purchase a lottery ticket. Just for fun. He forgot all about it, until 2 months later he discovered he had won an 8 digit sum of money.

Everything changed for him that day, a day he wished had never occurred.

First it was the media and stalkers he had to avoid. His private life became public, and everybody wanted a share of his story. Then the scam artists managed to get his credit card number, followed by myriad of charities who begged him to sustain their endeavours. His email inbox maxed out and his phone became swamped with text messages, all requests from people asking for money to pay their loans.

What hurt him the most of all was that his very own colleagues, his closest friends, all turned on him. They wanted him to pay off their credit-card bills as well as any other loans they may have had. They were adamant about it, and soon his board email inbox was maxed out as well. Pressure became so toxic that although he loved teaching, he had to resign.

He never wanted that money. In fact he lives now as a simple man. No one around him would even guess he is rich. He set up scholarship funds at the university he graduated at, designed to help people in economic need attain their university diplomas.

I wonder who is more blessed: the rich or the poor? Is it really worth our effort of even trying to become rich? Being rich doesn’t provide for everything.  In fact the more goods we have on earth, the more worries we have as well. How can we even make sure who truly is our friend in such circumstances?

Would you like to buy a lottery ticket?

You may get what you wish for, for a price naturally! Are you willing to pay for that price?

Maybe this is why I never buy lottery tickets!

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “Becoming Rich Without a Dime” devotional series, please click here.)