What's Wrong With Being Wealthy?

It is very difficult not to be a double-minded person these days. We have moved so far away from spiritual disciplines that to even find the time to read two chapters of the Bible each day is hard. And if we can't do the minimum then how can we expect to move into spiritual maturity? No, it doesn't just happen. If we are not studying the Word, spending time in habitual prayer, worshiping, tithing, serving, and the various other disciplines then we are not giving the Spirit the ability to have free reign in us to teach us, break us, melt us, shape us and fill us with the presence of God every day. We are those who try to be spiritual but struggle with a carnal mind.

Let's be honest with each other, there are a lot of things that attract us, that demand our time, that capture our attention, that all belong to the flesh. That is the definition of being carnal, being controlled by our body (flesh) with all of its passions, appetites, and sensual pleasures. If you can't do what you want to do to profit your spirit because your body is demanding obedience to its demands, you are carnal. There is a reason Scriptures say that we have to love Yahweh with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul and all our strength. Nothing else can come before him.

Jesus gave a warning about relying on the pleasures of this world and I want to clarify before we get into it; there is nothing wrong with using the resources of this world for Yahweh's purposes. There is nothing wrong with being rich or having lots of resources as long as we understand that we are merely stewards of these things and they are to be spent on things of the Kingdom, not things to satisfy our body. The attitude and perspective is crucial:

24 But woe to you who are rich,
    For you have received your consolation. (Luke 6:24)

Jesus did not say it was impossible for the rich to enter heaven, only that it was difficult. No less difficult than a poor man who spends his life pursuing riches. It is the attitude that we don't need Yahweh because we have everything that we need; we are self-reliant. People who spend lots of time in prayer do so because they understand their dependence; those who don't spend a lot of time in prayer do not see they are dependent on Jesus. Jesus is saying that if you find satisfaction in your wealth here and see no need for him, you have received all the blessings you are going to receive and there will be nothing for you in the world to come. A sobering thought.

Woe to you who are full,
    For you shall hunger. (v. 25a)

There is a lot of talk about self-love, and finding satisfaction in oneself but I think it should be the other way around. I think we need to accept the truth that Father absolutely loves us and desires nothing but the best for us. He will walk us through struggles to strengthen us and prepare us for the world to come because that is his priority for us. But to find satisfaction in ourselves is wrong. Our satisfaction is found in Jesus alone. It is Jesus who defines us and gives us purpose. If we do find satisfaction in ourselves and we are "full" here, Jesus warns we will be hungry in the world to come.

Woe to you who laugh now,
    For you shall mourn and weep. (v. 25b)

Perhaps this is a woe aimed at our age more than any other. What is it that we crave for all of our days, the thing that has become our motivation to work, the thing we think we have a right to possess? Pleasure, entertainment, diversions, amusements in whatever form. It is all that some of us can talk about and we think it is normal. We have raised an entire generation with this as their core purpose, to be entertained. It is no longer satisfaction in a job well done but a minimal effort for maximum pay so we can go out and have a life. Thus the desire for early retirement and a booming entertainment industry. But it is bad news because such a heart will be filled with weeping and mourning in the world to come when they realize what they have lost out on.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
    For so did their fathers to the false prophets. (v. 26)

We see this happening right before our eyes as people compromise the Scriptures in order to be accepted and well thought of. We have many pastors and teachers causing damage in this world because of their desire for popularity and fame, but you don't have to be a pastor to have this applied to you. Many of us compromise every day, doing things and accepting things in our lives in order to not rock the boat, to keep our friends, to keep trouble from our door. But, is it better to have trouble in this world and rewards in the next, or rewards in this world and trouble in the next?

The fundamental problem is that we are looking to live our rewards in this world instead of in the one to come. We think Jesus wants us to have pleasure and comfort in this place. We think that Father is occupied with making us happy here, which is all backwards. We are the servants to Father's will for the world. We are here to pour out our lives so that others might know Jesus and live. It is not about our rights, pleasures and comforts. It is not about justice. It is about Father's will that everyone be saved and we are workers of his will, not matter the cost to us.

However, we have mixed this with the carnal thinking of our day and now find that these woes may actually apply to us. What will it take for the Body of Christ to wake up and realize we need healing. We need repentance and restoration. We need to have the fog removed from our minds, to throw off the patterns of this world and set Jesus before us. We need to fix our eyes on him, build the relationship and pursue Father's will. If we don't, we could be very surprised in the world to come.

I Want To Be Rich!

Some of us are not meant for riches and fame and others are. Some of us can handle it and others are destroyed by it. Just look to the young "stars" of the world. When they are young and forced to be under the guidance of people with some wisdom they do well, but as soon as they are old enough to make their own decisions and throw away the voice of wisdom, the wheels come off the cart and we get to watch another train wreck. It is no different for us "regular" folk.

Jesus told us that it was hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom. In Fact, he likened it to a camel fitting through the eye of a needle. Why so hard? Because if we are dependent on our own means and never realize how utterly dependent we are on Yahweh we will not understand our need for salvation. This is not something new. The problem existed before Jesus' ministry. Moses even addressed it.

As long as the Israelites were slaves in Egypt they needed Yahweh. As long as Israel was wandering around in the desert they needed Yahweh. As long as Israel was at war with the nations they were to destroy in Yahweh's name, they needed Yahweh. But what about after? What about when they had been established, they had a king and their borders were safe? What about when the crops come in and they had a healthy trade? What about when their houses were big and they had everything they need? Would they still understand their dependence on Yahweh?

In Deuteronomy 8 Mosses addressed this well in advance of the problem and warned the nation not to forget Yahweh, all his commands and all that he had done for them or they would be tempted to say:

 ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ (Deuteronomy 8:17)

Moses declared:

And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (v. 18)

And then Moses gave this warning:

Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. (v.19)

Wealth and contentment itself is not evil but what we allow it to do with our dependence on Jesus is evil, wrong and carries with it consequences.

Jesus warned us not to make the priorities of non-believers our priorities because, as Kingdom dwellers, we have a different system of values. Even Jesus gave us this warning:

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:34-37)

Riches and fame are not a problem when we realize their secondary and lesser place in our lives. Not having riches and fame can also destroy us when obtaining them become our greatest priority. The secret to the whole thing is finding contentment in our relationship with Jesus regardless of where we are in the values of this world. It is Jesus' passion for us and ours for him that matters most in all of eternity. We need him for all things. If we have plenty it is by his hand and not ours because he gave us the means. If we don't, maybe it is because he is saving us from ourselves. Don't get distracted.

How Come People Without Jesus Seem Better Off Than Us?

I wonder if you have ever thought, "Why me"? Do you ever feel like all the bad stuff in this world always happens to you, that if anything is ever going to go wrong it will always happen to you? Ever look at someone who isn't serving Jesus and who doesn't appear to have any problems and think "That isn't fair"? Would you be surprised if I told you that you aren't alone?

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; 
   I had nearly lost my foothold. 
For I envied the arrogant    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Psalm 73:2-3)

It is amazing how much trouble we can find ourselves in when envy comes knocking on our door. We compare our lives with others and suddenly we have that "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence" feeling. We look at how tough things are for us even though we are doing everything right with God and we imagine that other person's lives are perfect:

They have no struggles; 
   their bodies are healthy and strong. 
They are free from the burdens common to man;    they are not plagued by human ills. (vv. 4-5)

We really start to believe this and it begins bothering us:

This is what the wicked are like—    always carefree, they increase in wealth. (v. 12)

And because we are seeing life from this perspective a more dangerous thought starts to invade our relationships with God:

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; 
   in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. 
All day long I have been plagued;    I have been punished every morning. (vv. 13-14)

This is crazy thinking and it happens when we start putting value on the wrong things in life. When we start seeing riches, possessions, fame, all things material of greater worth than our spirit we will end up in this position of envy. What we are envying is a pretty shallow life. It is one dimensional. As you get to know these "successful" and "famous" people you soon realize that all you see is all they have, whereas your riches are far greater even though they cannot be seen. Standing in such a place of envy is indeed a dangerous slippery slope.

We have something of far greater worth than a big house, fancy cars, nice clothes, glory and fame. We have the richness of knowing that we are loved and cherished by our Father:

Yet I am always with you; 
   you hold me by my right hand. 
You guide me with your counsel,    and afterward you will take me into glory. (vv. 23-24)

When we fix our eyes on Jesus we realize just how rich we are, how much life is better with him than without him. It is better to be a poor man in a poor house with Jesus than it is to be a rich man in a palace without him. I do not believe Jesus intends for us to be poor but you know what I mean here. We can be stripped of everything and have Jesus and we would still be richer than the richest man in this world:

Whom have I in heaven but you? 
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 
My flesh and my heart may fail, 
   but God is the strength of my heart 
   and my portion forever. (vv. 25-26)

And the truth about those people we may have envied is that they are far from being in an envious position. Where our riches can never be taken away from us, theirs can disappear in an instant. How many times will we see these great men of wealth destroyed over night before we realize that we are in the best position a person can be in:

Surely you place them on slippery ground; 
   you cast them down to ruin. 
How suddenly are they destroyed, 
   completely swept away by terrors! 
As a dream when one awakes, 
   so when you arise, O Lord, 
   you will despise them as fantasies. (vv. 18-20)

So let us stop dreaming about other people's lives and live our own to God's glory. Let us throw off the bonds of envy and celebrate what we have in Jesus. He is more than enough for us. His riches are beyond our imagination and he says they are all for us. He has given us a peace that can never be taken from us. He is always with us and he is the song of our heart. The world has nothing to offer compared to Jesus.