Want to be rich?

 

My father often criticized the lazy people he knew, many of whom were not financially well off. The end of my first marriage left me in a poverty state, so dad’s value system meant that I had to work hard. These experiences of life formed an admiration for the rich and a distain for the poor, thinking it was all due to how hard they worked.

Since then, God has taught me to think differently about both ends of this spectrum. For one thing, arduous work does not always result in a hefty bank account. Not only that, some have money because they inherited it rather than worked for it. The Bible has much to say about money yet the instruction is often about the attitude people have toward it, and the attitude to have toward those who have money and those who are poor.

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? (James 2:5–7)

God challenges my attitude toward people with or without money by challenging my attitude toward money. I know how easily money and wealth can become idols, and that Jesus said:

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24) and later added, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23–24)

This is a sad thing. Being rich is a snare to the point that those who are wealthy forget that they cannot take it with them when they die. Some of them tend to ignore the fact that we are all terminal and neglect to think about eternal matters. Those in poverty tend to think more easily of what really matters in life.

Either way, rich or poor, salvation and eternal life are important. If we have that, it will be ours forever. Thus, James says: “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away” (James 1:9–10) and reminds his readers to pay attention, “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5)

Someone once said, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. And, believe me, rich is better.” I could say that too, but I also know that the size of my bank account has very little to do with the peace and joy I experience. If I let it govern my happiness, it will, but God shows me the reality of, “doing good, being rich in good works, being generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:18) and the wonder of His care when I think His way about money,

PRAY: Jesus, I am so content in Your care. When I was poor, You gave me all I needed. Even now (when I have more than I need), the principle of You being the source and me being the conduit is richer than a wad in the pocket or in the bank. You show me that if I give anything away and wind up needing it, You simply give it back. This is true when in poverty or when money is plentiful. Trusting You is the thing, the truth that every person needs, rich or poor.

PONDER: I’ve heard that “Some people are so poor that all they have is money.” Far better to have a heart full of trust in God and with gratitude for His promises to take care of all my needs. This is key to living in poverty or plenty. Read 1 Timothy 6:6–19 and be blessed by God’s standard of contentment and His description of true riches.

 

 

 

‘Normal’ doesn’t cut it . . .

Leviticus 21; Psalms 26–27; Ecclesiastes 4; 1 Timothy 6

This morning’s first thought was that the will of God be done. Life is not predictable, and if I didn’t believe that before, it becomes clear in these days of social distancing and death statistics. After a few weeks, many are calling for a plan, a timeline. When can we go back to work, back to ‘normal’ and get on with life? The need for money is strong, as is the need for a sense of purpose and fulfillment is not satisfied by the rules of isolation and efforts to flatten the curve.

But was ‘normal’ doing it for everyone anyway? Didn’t people have fears and uncertainties before this virus came along? Were we driven by things that didn’t seem to ever produce the results hoped for? Before Covid-19, didn’t we wonder what would satisfy the deepest longings and desires of the human heart?

This morning’s reading in the Psalms gave me a resounding amen to my desire for God’s will to be done. David wrote:

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:1–5)

David expressed his desire for contentment, confidence, and a rich life that is secure. He realized ‘normal’ didn’t do it. Instead, he sought the Lord, something not done very often in ‘normal’ life. He recognized that resting in God’s presence was his security. Gazing on the beauty of the Lord gave him a sense of ‘this is enough’ and he was not only content but overjoyed to be under His care.

In contrast, Solomon describes the futility that relates to ‘normal’ and is becoming more evident in this pandemic. In a culture where a person’s success has been motivated by envy, selfish greed and/or a desire for prestige, this virus threat has brought back the idea that labor back is a basic, a necessity on which our lives depend. People want to go back to work and stay alive. For many, the loss of what was giving their life meaning, even though it didn’t always do that, is too much to bear. No one wants to think that work does not work, just as isolation is not working. To face that means asking a deeper question — where will that satisfaction, sense of purpose and fulfillment come from?

David knew where. I know it too. This contentment and sense of purpose and well-being is found in the Lord God who gives it as part of the package, as part of the eternal life gained by abandoning sin and self and trusting in Him. The NT writers knew it too. This morning, I also read:

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:6–10)

Instructions for a good life tell me to “flee these things, to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. I am to fight the good fight of the faith (these days it is a fight) and take hold of the eternal life to which I have been called and about which I have told many others . . . .” (1 Timothy 6:11–12) It goes on:

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. (1 Timothy 6:17–19)

If ‘normal’ means going back to self-centered motivations for work and for life, that which cannot be found in isolation will not be found there either. It is only in seeking the face of Jesus that satisfies the empty space, the longing of the human heart. In a saving, trusting relationship with God through faith in His Son, I settle down and rest — yet every day I must seek that place of rest and not get caught up in the fears and foibles of trying to do it without Him.

APPLY: Trust Jesus. Be centered in Jesus. Talk about Him. Tell others that He is the Savior, from sin but also from fear, enemies, discontent, purposelessness, snares and uncertainties. Practice what I preach. Trust Him with all my heart — I gave Him my life and I must allow Him to do with it as He wills — a big part is loving others —  and trust His will to be perfect.