How to Be Rich
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
I hope my title for this devo didn’t mislead you. Okay, I kind of hope it did a little. But I’m not offering a new pyramid scheme for accumulating wealth. And I’m not going to reveal the secret path for turning faith in God into money in your wallet. If I ever do such a thing, you’re invited to run away screaming.
Nope, what I meant to suggest by my title was how to live with money -- how to “be” rich. You may or may not think of yourself or your family as being rich, especially when you start comparing your stuff to other people’s stuff. But if we were able to somehow compare ourselves to people around the globe, most of you reading this would come out in the top 10 percent in terms of both income and material possessions.
Think about it. Most of our families have a car. Air conditioning. At least one outfit for each day of the week. Shoes. A way to get some food when we want it. Electricity. And lots of us have way more than that. By international standards, we’re nearly all loaded.
I don’t tend to think of myself that way, though. Why? Because I don’t compare myself to people around the world. I compare myself to the people in my town, church, school, and workplace. And, honestly, I’m mostly just watching the people with more and better stuff than I’ve got. That’s human nature. If we agree that we’re all pretty much rich, then we’d all like to be richer. Yes?
Okay, and that’s the problem. God’s Word warns that, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” (1 Timothy 6:9)
The Apostle Paul’s point was that living for money doesn’t lead to a life that matters. It shows a lack or wisdom. It turns us into fools. Why? Because as I recently heard someone say, at the end of the game all the money and hotels and dice go back in the box. And then what do you have? If there is a life after the game of this life, we’d better be living for that.
But getting back to our original point, what if we admit that we’re already rich -- that we already have far more luxuries and good things that we really need. Should we sell them all and take a vow of poverty? Not necessarily. Read the passage up top to see what Paul said later in this chapter.
He was talking about rich Christians, and he didn’t call them evil sinners. But he did give them some very specific commands.
Don’t be arrogant. People with money should NOT think they’re any better than people who don’t have much of it. That's a fat lie.
Don’t put your hope in wealth. Money can’t save us from death, and it can’t offer us real satisfaction in this life. And it disappears all too easily.
Hope in God. He is the only source of meaning and satisfaction on either side of life in heaven.
God gives us everything. You don’t own any good thing God did not give to you. He is the ultimate source of all your earthly possessions -- not you (and not even your parents). How often do you thank Him for your good things?
God gives stuff for our enjoyment. This is the one that surprises some people. God wants us to enjoy the good things we have right now. I know some rich people who never seem to even like the all the cool stuff they have. Why? Because they’re so obsessed with getting other cool stuff. Choosing to enjoy what I have makes God happy.
Do good and share. You can use money to hurt people, and you can use money to help people. If you’ve got access to some, God commands you to do good with it. That takes work. How are you using your money (or the money you have access to from your parents) to do good and help others?
Invest money in forever. It’s always always always the next life that matters, our real life. The one that starts the moment this one ends. The one that doesn't end. We don’t get any “carryover credits” there for dollars in the bank here. Use money to build an eternal treasure there. That's how to be rich.
-- 1 Timothy 6:17-19
I hope my title for this devo didn’t mislead you. Okay, I kind of hope it did a little. But I’m not offering a new pyramid scheme for accumulating wealth. And I’m not going to reveal the secret path for turning faith in God into money in your wallet. If I ever do such a thing, you’re invited to run away screaming.
Nope, what I meant to suggest by my title was how to live with money -- how to “be” rich. You may or may not think of yourself or your family as being rich, especially when you start comparing your stuff to other people’s stuff. But if we were able to somehow compare ourselves to people around the globe, most of you reading this would come out in the top 10 percent in terms of both income and material possessions.
Think about it. Most of our families have a car. Air conditioning. At least one outfit for each day of the week. Shoes. A way to get some food when we want it. Electricity. And lots of us have way more than that. By international standards, we’re nearly all loaded.
I don’t tend to think of myself that way, though. Why? Because I don’t compare myself to people around the world. I compare myself to the people in my town, church, school, and workplace. And, honestly, I’m mostly just watching the people with more and better stuff than I’ve got. That’s human nature. If we agree that we’re all pretty much rich, then we’d all like to be richer. Yes?
Okay, and that’s the problem. God’s Word warns that, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” (1 Timothy 6:9)
The Apostle Paul’s point was that living for money doesn’t lead to a life that matters. It shows a lack or wisdom. It turns us into fools. Why? Because as I recently heard someone say, at the end of the game all the money and hotels and dice go back in the box. And then what do you have? If there is a life after the game of this life, we’d better be living for that.
But getting back to our original point, what if we admit that we’re already rich -- that we already have far more luxuries and good things that we really need. Should we sell them all and take a vow of poverty? Not necessarily. Read the passage up top to see what Paul said later in this chapter.
He was talking about rich Christians, and he didn’t call them evil sinners. But he did give them some very specific commands.
Don’t be arrogant. People with money should NOT think they’re any better than people who don’t have much of it. That's a fat lie.
Don’t put your hope in wealth. Money can’t save us from death, and it can’t offer us real satisfaction in this life. And it disappears all too easily.
Hope in God. He is the only source of meaning and satisfaction on either side of life in heaven.
God gives us everything. You don’t own any good thing God did not give to you. He is the ultimate source of all your earthly possessions -- not you (and not even your parents). How often do you thank Him for your good things?
God gives stuff for our enjoyment. This is the one that surprises some people. God wants us to enjoy the good things we have right now. I know some rich people who never seem to even like the all the cool stuff they have. Why? Because they’re so obsessed with getting other cool stuff. Choosing to enjoy what I have makes God happy.
Do good and share. You can use money to hurt people, and you can use money to help people. If you’ve got access to some, God commands you to do good with it. That takes work. How are you using your money (or the money you have access to from your parents) to do good and help others?
Invest money in forever. It’s always always always the next life that matters, our real life. The one that starts the moment this one ends. The one that doesn't end. We don’t get any “carryover credits” there for dollars in the bank here. Use money to build an eternal treasure there. That's how to be rich.
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