True Wealth

“From the looks of things, you're pretty impressive. You got a nice place. And I suppose your neighbors would agree that your hard worker ... climbing right up on up that ladder towards success, right? I realize you're not into big bucks; but face it,  nobody’s  going hungry. Far from it. Your job is fairly secure. Making more money than ever, you're on your way. But wait, I want to know about the "other half." These things I mentioned are all external – physical and material stuff. What I want to know is how things are internally.

You look secure and successful, but the half is not been told, right? Part of you is insecure and fearful. Underneath, you're pretty weak. You appear to be happy, easy – going, and fulfilled; will; but the half has not told, has it? You wonder about where all this is leading you. Your restless drive for more and your desire calm,, peaceful contentment seem poles apart ... because they are poles apart. Deep down, nothing within you smiles.

Your salary is good and your material possessions are growing in number, but again, the half has not been told. The truth is that you are empty on the inside and you're taking it on the outside. Not one thing you own in all you own in your your "kingdom" has brought you the happiness you long for. So you're thinking, “maybe if I could land that better job,”  or “get into that bigger house,” or … or …
But don’t allow the smoke screen of more money to blind your eyes to the truth.  There’s a lot more to being rich than making more money.  Seneca, the Roman, was right, “Money has  never yet made anyone rich.” Do you want riches? Then listen to Jesus:  but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

For the real riches, try switching kingdoms.

(From Living on the Rugged Edge by Charles Swindoll)

Deuteronomy 4:40

If you obey all the laws and commands that I will give you today, all will be well with you and your children. Then you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

Was Israel guaranteed prosperity for obeying God’s laws? Yes—but we have to look carefully at what that means. God’s laws were designed to make his chosen nation healthy, just, and merciful. When the people followed those laws, they prospered. This does not mean, however, that no sickness, no sadness, and no misunderstandings existed among them. Rather, it means that as a nation they prospered and that individuals’ problems were handled as fairly as possible. Today God’s promise of prosperity—his constant presence, comfort, and the resources to live as we should—extends to all believers. We will face trials; Jesus assured us of that. But we will avoid the misery that directly results from intentional sin, and we will know that a great treasure awaits us in heaven.

Mark 10:17-31

As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running up to Jesus, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?”
18  “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19But as for your question, you know the commandments: ‘Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Do not cheat. Honor your father and mother.’”£
20“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a child.”
21  Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing,” he told him. “Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22At this, the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions.
23  Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the Kingdom of God!” 24  This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard£ to get into the Kingdom of God. 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
26  The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
27  Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
28  Then Peter began to mention all that he and the other disciples had left behind. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
29  And Jesus replied, “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30will receive now in return, a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—with persecutions. And in the world to come they will have eternal life. 31  But many who seem to be important now will be the least important then, and those who are considered least here will be the greatest then.”£

This man wanted to be sure he would get eternal life, so he asked what he could do. He said he’d never once broken any of the laws Jesus mentioned (10:19), and perhaps he had even kept the Pharisees’ loophole-filled version of them. But Jesus lovingly broke through the man’s pride with a challenge that brought out his true motives: “Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor.” This challenge exposed the barrier that could keep this man out of the Kingdom: his love of money. Money represented his pride of accomplishment and self-effort. Ironically, his attitude made him unable to keep the first commandment: to let nothing be more important than God (Exodus 20:3). He could not meet the one requirement Jesus gave—to turn his whole heart and life over to God. The man came to Jesus wondering what he could do; he left seeing what he was unable to do. What barriers are keeping you from turning your life over to Christ?

When Jesus asked this question, he was saying, “Do you really know the one to whom you are talking?” Because only God is truly good, the man was calling Jesus “God,” whether or not he realized it.

What does your money mean to you? Although Jesus wanted this man to sell everything and give his money to the poor, this does not mean that all believers should sell all their possessions. Most of his followers did not sell everything, although they used their possessions to serve others. Instead, this incident shows us that we must not let our possessions or money keep us from following Jesus. We must remove all barriers to serving him fully. If Jesus asked, could you give up your house? your car? your level of income? your position on the ladder of promotion? Your reaction may show your attitude toward money—whether it is your servant or your master.

Jesus showed genuine love for this man, even though he knew that the man might not follow him. Love is able to give tough advice; it doesn’t hedge on the truth. Christ loved us enough to die for us, and he also loves us enough to talk straight to us. If his love were superficial, he would give us only his approval; but because his love is complete, he gives us life-changing challenges.

Jesus said it was very difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God because the rich, having their basic physical needs met, often become self-reliant. When they feel empty, they buy something new to try to fill the void that only God can fill. Their abundance and self-sufficiency become their deficiency. The person who has everything on earth can still lack what is most important—eternal life.

The disciples were amazed. Was not wealth a blessing from God, a reward for being good? This misconception is still common today. Although many believers enjoy material prosperity, many others live in poverty. Wealth is not a sign of faith or of partiality on God’s part.

Jesus assured the disciples that anyone who gives up something valuable for his sake will be repaid a hundred times over in this life, although not necessarily in the same way. For example, someone may be rejected by his family for accepting Christ, but he or she will gain the larger family of believers. Along with these rewards, however, we experience persecution because the world hates God. Jesus emphasized persecution to make sure that we do not selfishly follow him only for the rewards.

Jesus explained that in the world to come, the values of this world will be reversed. Those who seek status and importance here will have none in heaven. Those who are humble here will be great in heaven. The corrupt condition of our society encourages confusion in values. We are bombarded by messages that tell us how to be important and how to feel good, and Jesus’ teaching about service to others seems alien. But those who have humbly served others are most qualified to be great in heaven.

Luke 12:33

“Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them. Your treasure will be safe—no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.

Money seen as an end in itself quickly traps us and cuts us off from both God and the needy. The key to using money wisely is to see how much we can use for God’s purposes, not how much we can accumulate for ourselves. Does God’s love touch your wallet? Does your money free you to help others? If so, you are storing up lasting treasures in heaven. If your financial goals and possessions hinder you from giving generously, loving others, or serving God, sell what you must to bring your life into perspective.

Luke 16:1-13

Jesus told this story to his disciples: “A rich man hired a manager to handle his affairs, but soon a rumor went around that the manager was thoroughly dishonest. 2So his employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about your stealing from me? Get your report in order, because you are going to be dismissed.’
3“The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? I’m through here, and I don’t have the strength to go out and dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4I know just the thing! And then I’ll have plenty of friends to take care of me when I leave!’
5“So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6The man replied, ‘I owe him eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘tear up that bill and write another one for four hundred gallons.£’
7“‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take your bill and replace it with one for only eight hundred bushels.£’
8“The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the citizens of this world are more shrewd than the godly are. 9  I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.£
10  “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12And if you are not faithful with other people’s money, why should you be trusted with money of your own?
13  “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Our use of money is a good test of the lordship of Christ. (1) Let us use our resources wisely because they belong to God, and not to us. (2) Money can be used for good or evil; let us use ours for good. (3) Money has a lot of power, so we must use it carefully and thoughtfully. (4) We must use our material goods in a way that will foster faith and obedience (see 12:33, 34).

We are to make wise use of the financial opportunities we have, not to earn heaven but to help people find Christ. If we use our money to help those in need or to help others find Christ, our earthly investment will bring eternal benefit. When we obey God’s will, the unselfish use of possessions will follow.

Our integrity is often put on the line in money matters. God calls us to be honest even in small details we could easily ignore. Heaven’s riches are far more valuable than earthly wealth. But if we are not trustworthy with our money here (no matter how much or little we have), we will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God’s Kingdom. See that you maintain your integrity in all matters, whether big or small.

Money has the power to take God’s place in your life. It can become your master. How can you tell if you are a slave to money? (1) Do you think and worry about it frequently? (2) Do you give up doing what you should do or would like to do in order to make more money? (3) Do you spend a great deal of your time caring for your possessions? (4) Is it hard for you to give money away? (5) Are you in debt?
Money is a hard master and a deceptive one. Wealth promises power and control, but often it cannot deliver. Great fortunes can be made—and lost—overnight, and no amount of money can provide health, happiness, or eternal life. How much better it is to let God be your master. His servants have peace of mind and security, both now and forever.

My Ramblings

Is wealth your aim?  Put that dream aside and give priority to God.  Do something today to curb the appetite for money, and be content with what you have.

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