God Wants you to have the “Biggest,” the “Best,” & the “Most!”
Riches! Wealth! Living the good life! These things have been the driving force of humans since time eternal. There is no way we can know the amount of effort that has been put forth, or suffering and turmoil that have resulted, through the drive of the human race to obtain riches in this life. Even men and women, even professed followers of God, have given themselves over to the MADNESS of “GET RICH!”
Let me be clear here, I’m not doing an article on the issue of wealth per se. But to be precise and Scriptural, I would like to start out with this topic in reference to being an overseer, that is, a Christian leader:
“A Bishop (Overseer) then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperature, sober minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, NOT GREEDY for MONEY, not covetous…” (1 Timothy 3:2-3).
The Apostle didn’t stop with the “greedy for money” theme there. By the way, he does not decry $$ itself, but warns against being greedy for it. He clears this up when he writes, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). Again, please note that Paul does not say $$ is evil in itself, but the love (and lust) for it causes pain and suffering.
Following that emphatic statement above, Paul writes, “But you, O man of God, FLEE these things and pursue righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith…” (1 Timothy 6:11). The Apostle of God did not stop there. He writes, “Command those who are RICH in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain RICHES, but in the Living God, who gives us RICHLY all things to enjoy” (v. 17).
God Gives / Man Lusts For
Solomon, King David’s son, was blessed greatly by God. He wrote, “As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:19; see also 6:2). Before Solomon penned 5:19 he penned vv. 10-15, speaking of “the abundance of the rich” (v. 12)…” and, “There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: RICHES kept for their owner to his hurt. But those RICHES perish through misfortune (literally, bad business); when he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand” (vv. 13-14).
What we understand is this: God gives riches/wealth to some and others strive to obtain them to their own hurt. What the Bible does teach is that riches/wealth are not evil in themselves; it is greed (not need) and covetousness that become sin: “the love of money is the root of all evil.”
Jesus Taught…
Jesus dealt with this subject during His earthly journey: “Do not lay up for yourselves TREASURES on earth” (Matthew 6:19) – treasures can be many things besides silver or gold! Here we have come to the point I want to make – comparisons. Jesus compares earthly treasure with that of the Spirit:
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21).
Jesus gets to the root of the matter in verse 24: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will note the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (v. 24; lit. “riches”). We know this was and is a generalized statement with exceptions. There have been and are men and women who can be wealthy and still serve God and be loyal to the faith. “Mammon” was an Aramaic word meaning “wealth or prosperity.”
Luke 16:9
Some folks stumble over what Jesus says here: “And I say to you, Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.” One version calls it “dishonest wealth.” NOTE: This saying is connected to the parable of the dishonest steward, 16:1-8. Jesus then speaks of the application of the parable, verses 9-12 (look up some Bible Commentaries on these verses for background info). In verse 9 Jesus infers that there is something unethical about dishonest wealth, that is, the “Mammon of iniquity.”
“Mammon” is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew/Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning “that in which one trusts.” The characterization of this “wealth” as “dishonest” expresses “a tendency of wealth to lead one to dishonesty.”
“Mammon,” that is, “dishonest wealth” – which too many believers have obtained, especially these modern day “Prosperity Perverts,” aka, televangelists and Big Time Preaches and others that have become multimillionaires off the Gospel! – will DAMN one’s soul. How many over the last several decades have become SLAVES to getting wealth and keeping it? Too many have trusted in their wealth and failed to trust in God. See Jesus’ teaching on depending upon the Father to supply all our needs – not our greeds! (See Luke 12:22-39: see also the parable of the RICH fool in Luke 12:16-21.) Many see riches/wealth/treasures as a “god” (I did long Bible studies on this subject back in the 1980’s).
Apropos
Second Corinthians 4 speaks of “treasure in earthen vessels.” Let’s compare earthly treasure vs. Heavenly Treasure, beginning with what the Apostle of Jesus, Paul, wrote in his second epistle to the Ekklesia at Corinth:
“Therefore (for what has previously been said) we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is PERISHING, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Then Paul goes on to explain that statement: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but those things which are not seen are eternal” (vv. 17-18).
Paul uses contrasts to make his case: faith is that which is unseen vs. that which is seen and felt. Then we have persecutions and we can be struck down, yet we are blessed and have joy in our trials (read verses 8-11). Let’s face it: we can experience HELL on earth as we can experience HEAVEN on earth … sometimes, in a sense, at the same time.
In my 52 years I have experienced both. What the Bible teaches is that the TREASURE we have is in our hearts: “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet we are not crushed: we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
Paul’s catalog of his ministry, of the good and the “bad,” tells us that negative situations can give birth to positive ones; the negatives never completely prevail. Take time to read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 where he writes about his experience of suffering and encouragement (vv. 4-7), including his past and his recent suffering and encouragement (vv. 8-10).
Question: Are we to suffer like Paul suffered in order to build up spiritual treasures? Is there any other way? Through works?
Well, even “true works” will be accompanied by tribulations and trials.
Holy and Healthy
A lot of emphasis is placed on being physically healthy. Not enough though! Seeing that too many believers are overweight and run down, have bad habits and are sluggish in so many ways! True balance is to be both physically and spiritually healthy. One cannot be spiritually healthy unless one feeds the “new man,” aka, “inner man,” the right kind of “food” and “drink.” Exercise coupled with good, clean living habits, makes us spiritually healthy and, yes, holy. But take a good long look at today’s Church! A shame to His name!
While our physical bodies do “waste away,” that is, grow old and become less and less strong, our spiritual bodies should never waste away … if we maintain a good healthy spiritual diet and exercise. As the Apostle tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
Trials As Weights
Trials and tribulations are just like the weights that we exercise with in the flesh – building up our endurance, our spiritual muscles. I once gave several lessons called “Satan, the Bodybuilder,” meaning his attacks on us and against us help us to build strong healthy spiritual bodies.
Paul even wrote later on in his second epistle to the Corinthians, “I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am WEAK, then I am strong.” What? Yep! It is the strength of our faith (inner man) that counts in eternity, not our physical strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
The risen Christ speaks to Paul and tells him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect (literally ‘mature’) in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we are weak in the flesh (for whatever reason), this has nothing to do with our faith. Our faith in Christ can still be made “perfect,” that is, most fully and completely manifested even when we are physically weak.
Some believe Paul’s affliction in verses 7-8 could have been a physical problem, others say it could have been evil persons or a certain evil person. His affliction was a “messenger of satan to buffet me” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Whatever it was, it made Paul strong in the faith, though weak in the flesh.
Riches / Wealth
If we look at Paul’s writings through eyes of faith, we see that he places faith above carnal riches. So did Jesus. So do all New Testament authors. So, why is it that today’s Church sucks after the riches of this world and despises the trials and tribulations we have to face?
Be Not Discouraged
This is the “message” for this current “Mess Age.” Our faith in Christ – if we maintain it till the end! – will outlast our physical experiences. But it is our experiences that put treasure in our spiritual bank. Our “outer self” fades away but our “inner self” is renewed day by day. As we DIE to SELF, we start to LIVE for Christ.
Paul continues his theme of suffering and dying to self in chapter 5. He teaches that to be clothed with heavenly clothes (5:1-5) is far better than to be clothed with the world. How many Christians (so-called) deck themselves out in the best of the world’s clothing and jewelry … but are nearly STARK NAKED spiritually (see Revelation 3:14-22)!
Some of these “Christian” TV “strutting studs” and “dazzling darlings” spend millions on their appeal and stage sets. They teach and preach that God wants us to have the BIGGEST, the BEST, and the MOST in this life. But where, O where, can this be found in Scripture? … I’m waiting!
While poverty is no virtue, being poor in spirit is! But most hate God’s humility.
Weigh Us Down!
True! Today’s challenges can weigh us down, especially if one persists in pressing onward and upward in Christ Jesus. If you are just a dull, ineffective churchite, satan is pretty much going to leave you alone. If you are a frontline soldier of Christ, GET READY for a nasty fight!
Take, for example, Jesus and His true Apostles/Disciples – they didn’t build BIG ministries, collect millions and millions $$, or “live the good life.” No! They suffered as Jesus suffered. Jesus, as you know, was called the “suffering Servant.” As the old saying goes, “No scars? You haven’t gone very far.” See Isaiah 53.
Well, I think you get my point. It is hardships (as in 2 Timothy 2:3) that earn us treasure, wealth, riches. Not hardships alone, but the endurance of them. Too many endure for a while but surrender to the devil eventually … never to serve Christ again (though they may “serve Him” in word only). Do you think such a person will have treasures in Heaven, or pain in Hell?
~ Gen. Jim, POW