Have you every heard the announcement of someone famous messing up and thinking, “How do you do that?  How do you have that much money, fame or whatever you want and mess up like that?”

The problem is that fame and fortune don’t provide character; they only reveal it.  If you have trouble staying out of trouble when you’re poor, getting ahold of more money will only add to the problem.  This is the explanation for why famous people wind up on the news for dumb choices and poor decisions.

A lot of people think that poverty is a great test of character, but the stronger test is that of prosperity.  That’s why Daniel is such an incredible story in the Old Testament.  He had fame and fortune and yet when they snuck around and thoroughly investigated his life they could find no corruption (Daniel 6:4).  The only thing they discovered was he really loved God.

I feel bad for those who get caught up in bad decisions that negatively affect themselves and those around them, but I’m not shocked by it.

Let’s be people who, like Daniel, are trustworthy, free of corruption and negligence; because our character is anchored in our commitment to God, not our money.