Do You Want To Be Rich Someday?Do You Want To Be Rich Someday?
So what thoughts crossed your mind when you flipped through the Fortune 500 magazine in the waiting room? Incredible salaries! Did you drool over some of the luxury items and lifestyles advertised - the clothes; the jewelry; the SUVs and exotic cars; the vacations; the homes and the contented and confident expressions of the people featured in the advertisements? Did you have a momentary desire to be rich? Did your heart beat a bit quicker when you allowed yourself to imagine living like that? Did you see anything that made you think: “If only I could have that, life would be so different.”
If the inner desire of my heart is to be rich; if my thinking revolves around desires and plans to be rich someday; if accumulating wealth is at the core of my plans and is the motivating factor in my life – I’m on a very dangerous and treacherous pursuit. If my thinking does not change, my life for the Lord will be totally wasted.
The New Testament has a great deal to say about the rich, riches and wealth. Study those three words in the New Testament and see what conclusions you reach.
Having said that - there are Christians who are wealthy. They do have money. Some have seen their businesses prosper and grow. Others have inherited their wealth. When Paul wrote Timothy, he had a special message for ‘money rich’ saints:
As for the rich in this present age,
charge them not to be haughty,
nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches,
but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future,
so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
(1Timothy 6:17-19)
What was Paul saying? There is a natural danger of those who have money to look at themselves as being better than those who do not. There is a danger of exclusivity, snobbery, arrogance and or high-mindedness. This is not only detrimental to the cohesiveness of a fellowship of believers, it’s a real obstacle to Gospel outreach. Not-so-wealthy people from the community are quickly turned off if they get a whiff of snobbery when they attend a meeting.
Another danger for those who have money is to find their security in their money rather than in the Lord. Because their assets are accumulating they are hopeful and confident about the future. But a Christian’s hopes are to be anchored in God. Scattered around the country are many believers who once were happy in the Lord and committed to the local assembly but who were also dependant on the Lord to make ends meet, to pay the bills and feed their family. But then the winds of success blew; profits soared; bank accounts bulged. Sadly for some, their light of testimony is far dimmer now than it was when they were struggling financially.
Money is not the root of all evil but the love of it is.
What about the God fearing, Christ honoring, wealthy Christians whose hearts are not set on their wealth but on their Lord? Money for them is just an enabler to do things for the Lord. Their wealth allows them to be rich in good works – just like the verse says. They are generous. They are ready to share. The treasure they truly value is what they are laying up in Heaven - not what they have in their bank accounts. They are taking hold of that which is truly life.
Dear Child of God, beware of a growing fondness for money. It’s a sign of spiritual illness.
Warmly in Christ,
Peter Ramsay
Abused, Gay, AIDS
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