Early this morning as I slept in my bed An insightful idea suddenly entered by head Its relevance I was unable to shed
So, I quickly awoke being divinely led. The one stanza poem captures the early dawn experience that was the inspiration for the material in my column today. So, without any further introductory words, the following is a categorical presentation of my article today.

True Friendship
One of the things in life that cannot be purchased by money is a true and faithful friend. A very wise sage once said that if a person has been able to truthfully say that they were blessed with one true friend in their entire life, then that person was rich. The Bible says that one’s wealth makes many friends (Proverbs 19:4). However, those kinds of friends are only friends to your wealth and not to you. The bottom line is that true and lasting friendship cannot be purchased with any amount of money.

A Loving and
Loyal Spouse
The second thing in our consideration today that money cannot buy is a loving and loyal spouse. Admittedly, wealth can attract a candidate to a man or woman as a potential spouse. Nevertheless and regrettably, many who were well off and wealthy were deceived by men and women who were attracted to their money and not to them. In such a case, if the person who was lured by the wealth and not the personality does not change, (in many and most cases) either one or two things happen. First, they never experience a happy and mutually enriching marriage. Furthermore, they end up separating or getting a divorce. A word to the wise who are financially well off and desiring to be married: make sure that the person who you are attracted to or who is attracted to you is not drawn to your money more than they are to you.

Obedient and Respectful Children
In this section of things that cannot be bought by money, I want to briefly expound on the fact that producing and raising good and proper children does not derive from how rich a family or the parents are (given money can either play a positive or negative role on the rearing of children). However, it is never the primary element in their development. The fact is that both rich and poor parents and families alike have succeeded and failed in their child rearing responsibilities. Many children from both sides of the spectrum have turned out both good and bad. This being the case, there is a whole lot more involved in child rearing than them belonging to a wealthy or prominent family. Things like love, discipline, and time sharing are indispensable ingredients in the practice of productive parenting. Implementing these will give any parent a vital arsenal of weapons to fight within the battle of raising obedient and respectful children in the times that we are living in.

A Good Character and
Clean Conscience
There are some very rich people who are people of ill repute and a guilty conscience. On their journey to success and wealth, they became people of bad character and a guilty conscience. In their ambition and struggle to be rich and successful, they sacrificed their integrity and pure conscience.
Their love of money did almost irreparable damage to both their character and conscience. Regrettably, there is no amount of money in their possession that can buy them a good character and clean conscience. Such people, who have swindled, cheated, and lied to be rich and successful, are often the most unhappy people alive. They never learned that money can either be a good servant or a poor master that enslaves people in agony and misery.

True Innocence
When You Know
You Are Guilty
I venture to say that every day across this nation in a courtroom somewhere, somebody who is guilty of a crime is being defended by a smart and tactful lawyer before a judge and jury. Although his client is lying and pretending to be innocent, in many cases, smart and clever lawyers have swayed and convinced both judges and juries that their guilty clients were innocent. However, such folk who can hire lawyers who can convince judges and juries that their guilty and lying clients are innocent, cannot convince their clients who know they are guilty that they are innocent. No amount of money in the world can buy a guilty man true innocence.

Eternal Life and
Entry into Heaven
In my estimation and belief as a follower of Jesus Christ, the most priceless thing that money cannot buy is eternal life and entry into heaven. Although there have been people throughout the ages who have attempted to buy their way into heaven, every such effort has been derailed and annulled by the Word of God.
The following eternal truths can never be altered, amended, or abridged. I deem it very relevant to let them conclude our article today:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:5-6)