This seemed like a crucial question to the king of Judah. And for the tested and tempted Christian? It may weigh even heavier.

Losing money is never pleasant. But when it's a matter of principle, when doing the right thing costs you financially? The flesh recoils. "Why throw away what could be put to such good use? Can we really afford to stand on principle? What about the bills? Think of the children! Think of our tiny income!"

A thousand voices like these tempt the Christian to reach for dishonest gain or to compromise their convictions when obedience means serious loss. Not everyone can see these moments through the eyes of faith. Even among followers of Jesus, that nagging voice—"we must live"—carries tremendous weight.

But hear the prophet's answer again: "The Lord is able to give you much more than this."

What an answer to our anxious calculations! Our Father holds the purse-strings, and what we lose for his sake, he can repay a thousand-fold. Our job is to obey. His job is to provide. And at the final accounting, God will be no man's debtor.

The saints have always known this truth: a grain of heart's-ease is worth more than a ton of gold. He who wraps a threadbare coat about a good conscience has gained a spiritual wealth far more desirable than any he has lost. God's smile and a dungeon are enough for a true heart; his frown and a palace would be hell to a gracious spirit.

So let the worst come. Let every last dollar disappear. We have not lost our treasure, for that is above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. And even now, right here in this life, the Lord makes the meek to inherit the earth. He withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly.