By Peter Kennedy
“God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.” – Ecclesiastes 6:2.
In 1998, Gerald Muswagon won the $10 million Super 7 jackpot in Canada. Gerald had the world at his feet after collecting the bumper jackpot win. It seemed as if life had given him a blessing and he was never going to have to worry about finances again during his lifetime.
Immediately after his win he went on a spending spree that saw him buy new cars for his family and friends. He bought a new house that he promptly turned into a self-proclaimed “party pad” and it was also alleged that he bought eight brand new big screen TVs for friends in a 24 hour shopping stint.
His cousin Mike Muswagon said “He didn’t have the right people around him at the time, people who could have guided him. A lot of people asked a lot of him.”
Gerald’s “party pad” became a den of alcohol and drug abuse. He also started up a logging business, but the business was soon failing as sales were low and profits plummeted.
Gerald was also involved in a series of run-ins with the law. In October 2000, Gerald was sentenced to three months in jail when he pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving after he had led an epic police chase whilst driving his brand new Chevy Silverado at speeds that reached an estimated 111 miles per hour.
In 2005, he spent another three months in jail for sexual assault of a house cleaner. Now penniless, he went back to work at a minimum wage job. In October 2005, he committed suicide.
Money is fleeting. We need to spend every valuable moment of life bringing glory to Christ.
Today in prayer, give the Lord your undivided heart and seek to glorify Him in all that you do.
