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largest U.S. steel company, a past chairman of one of the country’s largest utility companies, a past president of the New York Stock Exchange, afuture president of the Bank for International Settlements, and a past member of U.S. president Warren G. Harding’s cabinet. Together, the men were worth billions of dollars and controlled more money than the U.S. Treasury did at the time.
    Well, money certainly didn’t buy the multimillionaires happiness. Ivar Kreuger, who built a global matchbook empire, committed suicide. Jesse Livermore, who was known as the “Great Bear of Wall Street” and was famous for building and then losing several multimillion-dollar fortunes during the stock market crashes of 1907 and 1929, killed himself in the cloakroom of a New York hotel. Leon Fraser, head of the Bank for International Settlements, also committed suicide. Charles M. Schwab, the American steel magnate, died a pauper after blowing through a fortune that would have been worth an estimated five hundred million to eight hundred million dollars today. Samuel Insull, chairman of Commonwealth Edison Company, was acquitted of bilking investors and died of a heart attack after losing most of his fortune. The other three men—Associated Gas and Electric Utility president Howard Hopson, New York Stock Exchange president Richard Whitney, and former U.S. secretary of the interior Albert Fall—served prison sentences before their deaths.
    That story reminds me that money and power won’t bring you happiness. There are plenty of modern-day examples of millionaires and billionaires blowing through their fortunes through lavish spending and irresponsible stewardship. We see it over and over again in Hollywood and professional sports.When an actor or athlete reaches the pinnacle of his or her profession, they sign multimillion-dollar contracts and don’t know how to handle their newly found fortunes. They surround themselves with big entourages, and their family members and greedy friends can’t wait to get their hands on the money. They don’t have a lot of discipline in their lives, there’s no Jesus, and so they spend millions of dollars in a matter of months. When the dust settles, their money is gone and their friends are nowhere to be found. They burn out and end up broke and destitute. They are left thinking, What in the world happened? Well, they were caught up in the rat race of extravagant living and didn’t make sound decisions about their lives. Like I said, money can be here today and gone tomorrow.
    The truth is that God owns everything and everything we receive comes from Him. God is the one who created all the earth, and all in it belongs to Him. We might have to work hard to earn a living, but God is the one who gives us the health and strength to complete our jobs. We shouldn’t strive to be rich, and as Christians we shouldn’t hoard our money. Our goal should be to live below our means and be content with what God has given us. There’s a big difference between necessities and desires, and we need to stop buying indulgences only because we have the available credit to purchase them. God doesn’t want us to go into debt. Instead, we should save money for unforeseen expenses and emergencies and give generously to the church and other charitable organizations. Ourhearts should always be on the lookout for how we can help the people who need it most.
    Managing your money isn’t hard. Before you buy something, whether it’s a new TV, truck, gun, or shirt, ask yourself one question: “Do I really need it?” Is it a necessity or is it a luxury? Before I became semifamous and car dealers started giving me trucks to drive, I drove them until the wheels fell off. Even though clothing companies like Under Armour now give me whatever I want to wear, I still wear my socks and T-shirts until they can’t be worn anymore. When you flip on your TV, do you really need three hundred channels? Do you think you could get by with