Think about this: Are you rich?
If you are like most people, your answer would be "No". If you are asked to name a few people who are rich, you would have a few names. Interestingly, most people do not admit that they are rich. They would feel rich if only they had a little more than they have. That's an unachievable target! Click here to read Gallup's poll on what people consider rich.
I have never considered myself rich. Whenever I heard sermons about rich people or read verses about rich people, I have always thought they are addressed to someone else.
A sermon I heard recently helped me see things in a different perspective. There are people who think you are rich. If you are reading this from your computer/tablet/phone, you are probably rich. (I am rich too!) If you have more than your basic needs met, you are probably rich. Of course, richness is a relative term. That's exactly my point. If you compare yourself to a person who has more than you do, you appear poorer. If you look at a person who has less than you do, you are rich! As long as there is someone who has less than you do, you are rich!
Now that you know you are rich, is it a good thing or bad? We need to acknowledge that God is our Provider (unless the money you have is earned in ungodly ways). The Bible has a lot to say about the rich, the scariest of which is Matthew 19:24 ("...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.") When Jesus spoke about rich people, He must have referred to it more as the condition of the heart.
Many are quick to point out that money itself is not the root of evil, only the love of money is. While it is easy to get away saying that I don't love money, I must be careful not to want more than I have. "Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." (Hebrews 13:5) After all, we follow a Master Who had to borrow a coin to illustrate His message (Mark 12:15)!
May the Lord help us to keep our eyes fixed on Him, Who is eternal and not on the fleeting earthly treasures that are of absolutely no value the moment you take your last breath.
If you are like most people, your answer would be "No". If you are asked to name a few people who are rich, you would have a few names. Interestingly, most people do not admit that they are rich. They would feel rich if only they had a little more than they have. That's an unachievable target! Click here to read Gallup's poll on what people consider rich.
I have never considered myself rich. Whenever I heard sermons about rich people or read verses about rich people, I have always thought they are addressed to someone else.
A sermon I heard recently helped me see things in a different perspective. There are people who think you are rich. If you are reading this from your computer/tablet/phone, you are probably rich. (I am rich too!) If you have more than your basic needs met, you are probably rich. Of course, richness is a relative term. That's exactly my point. If you compare yourself to a person who has more than you do, you appear poorer. If you look at a person who has less than you do, you are rich! As long as there is someone who has less than you do, you are rich!
Now that you know you are rich, is it a good thing or bad? We need to acknowledge that God is our Provider (unless the money you have is earned in ungodly ways). The Bible has a lot to say about the rich, the scariest of which is Matthew 19:24 ("...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.") When Jesus spoke about rich people, He must have referred to it more as the condition of the heart.
Many are quick to point out that money itself is not the root of evil, only the love of money is. While it is easy to get away saying that I don't love money, I must be careful not to want more than I have. "Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." (Hebrews 13:5) After all, we follow a Master Who had to borrow a coin to illustrate His message (Mark 12:15)!
May the Lord help us to keep our eyes fixed on Him, Who is eternal and not on the fleeting earthly treasures that are of absolutely no value the moment you take your last breath.
