A news story recently told of someone who won the Publishers Clearing House prize of $5,000 a week for life, only to later hear that the company had gone bankrupt. What once looked like a lifetime of financial security quickly disappeared. That story is a vivid reminder of how fragile earthly promises can be and how dangerous it is to place our ultimate trust in money.
The Bible has always been clear about this reality. Wealth is uncertain, and those who trust in riches set themselves up for heartache. God invites us to trust Him daily for our needs and to rest in His promises that never fail. James speaks directly to this truth: “Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment” (James 5:1–3, NLT). James is not saying that money itself is evil. Instead, he reminds us that wealth is temporary and unreliable. Riches can vanish through economic collapse, theft, or poor decisions. The Publishers Clearing House story shows how quickly promises of wealth can be broken.
Proverbs echoes the same wisdom. Proverbs 23:4–5 says, “Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle” (NLT). Money can take flight and leave us empty handed, just as easily as the winnings of a contest can vanish with the collapse of a company.
The Bible also warns against the lure of quick riches. Proverbs 13:11 reminds us, “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time” (NLT). That dream of $5,000 a week for life is appealing because it promises security without effort. But Scripture reminds us that sudden windfalls often disappear just as suddenly. Proverbs 20:21 says, “An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end” (NLT). When we trust in sudden windfalls instead of steady faithfulness, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:11, “Give us today the food we need” (NLT). He does not tell us to pray for wealth for a lifetime, but for what we need today. This is not because God is stingy, but because He wants our hearts to rely on Him one day at a time. James also warns against arrogant planning in James 4:13–15: “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that’” (NLT). The promise of a lifetime of checks may seem secure, but only God knows the future. Only He can provide what we truly need, both in this life and in eternity.
Proverbs points us toward wisdom as a greater treasure than riches. Proverbs 8:10–11 says, “Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it” (NLT). Jesus Himself warned us in Matthew 6:19–21, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (NLT). The collapse of a company can take away earthly checks, but nothing can touch the treasure stored up in heaven through faith, generosity, and obedience.
When Publishers Clearing House awarded its “$5,000 a Week for Life” prize, winners, including the 2012 winner, were usually offered a choice. They could either take the weekly or annual payments as an annuity, or receive a one-time lump sum payout. Some winners chose the annuity, expecting lifelong security. Others chose the lump sum, and those who did were spared the impact of the company’s later bankruptcy. News reports confirm this reality:
KGW (with video) Oregonians won ‘$5,000 a week, forever!’ from Publishers Clearing House. Then the company went bankrupt
This real-world situation highlights the wisdom of Proverbs 23:5: “In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle” (NLT). Even lump sums are not eternal, but at least they are in hand. The lesson is that earthly wealth, whether received little by little or all at once, will always be uncertain. The only riches that can never be lost are those we lay up in heaven through faith in Christ.
The disappointment of losing out on a promised fortune raises a deeper question: What are we truly longing for? Is it comfort, status, or freedom from worry? Only God can provide lasting security. Only Christ can satisfy the hunger of our souls. James 1:9–11 says, “Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements” (NLT). Rich or poor, we are all dependent on God’s grace. Riches fade, but God’s mercy is everlasting.
The world is full of promises of easy money, quick wealth, and lifelong security. Yet time and again, those promises fail. Companies go bankrupt. Markets crash. Scams deceive. Even honest work can be lost in a moment. But the promises of God stand firm forever. Psalm 37:25 gives this testimony: “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread” (NLT). God has always provided for His people, and He always will.
The next time you hear about someone losing an earthly prize, let it remind you of the greater treasure that cannot be taken away. Choose wisdom over wealth, faith over fear, and eternal treasure over temporary gain. And when you pray for daily bread, remember that the One who provides it is faithful, unchanging, and true.
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