How much wealth does it take to be rich? If you live in the United States, you are among the richest people on the planet, you know how the president and other liberals keep going on about the wealthiest one percent? They are talking about you, American.
When we talk about being rich we would hardly think of ourselves as being wealthy, yet if we are rich then what are we to make of the sayings of Jesus about the rich?
Being rich is relative of course, but a wealthy nation has a more difficult time putting its trust in the Lord because we trust in our wealth and our power instead of God. Haven’t you ever noticed how many rich kids end up being angry atheists who shake their collective fists at God?
The Lord does not want us to trust in this material world but in the One who provides all our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. This lesson was taught to the children of Israel in the desert as they were introduced to manna.
Manna literally means whatyoumacallit, it was a flaky bread like substance that could be prepared in many ways from boiling to baking, yet you could not store it, you could only consume what you needed for that day.
In Exodus 16:18 it says, “He who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack” the Israelites had to learn to trust the Lord for their daily bread and were forced to depend on God.
Like the manna in the wilderness hoarding the provision of God beyond what we need, can lead to spiritual spoilage and a rancid heart. That is why Jesus taught that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
This is because it becomes too easy to depend on the strength of our bank accounts than on the strength of the Lord who provides and even creates wealth. Yet, as we have seen over the last few weeks’, wealth does not have staying power. Trillions of dollars have been lost in the blink of an eye and many untold fortunes have been lost. Retirement accounts have been depleted and the future hold a little less promise than before. That is if we trust in our wealth.
If we trust in the Lord, we do not look to our 401k accounts for our future we look to God. Saving money is wise, preparing for the future is good but do we have more faith in the dollar than in Jesus?
We should ask from where does my help come from? My checkbook or my God?
