Enjoy Wealth

1 Timothy 6:17-19

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.


Dear Christians, in our present age, there are many who are wealthy. Some do not even recognize that they are the wealthy of which this verse speaks. There are many in the world who live on less than a dollar a day. They do not have a one bedroom house, but rather a one room shack--and many do not even have this! There are many who have no idea what a television is, much less a cable bill. Grocery money is not the problem, but food for the day. There is no budget--make money today, and there might be food to eat. When we look on all that the Lord has blessed us with, we must remember this fact. We are very wealthy, even if we do not feel that all our desires are met. We must take this verse as a charge to ourselves--do not be haughty and set your hopes on material things. 

When we have things, it is not wrong to enjoy them, however. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, and gave them delightful fruits to eat, and wonderful animals with which to mingle. They enjoyed what God had given them. The rich young man was told to sell everything he had, not because the possessions were bad, but because he had placed them higher than God. Maybe God is saying the same thing to us, but maybe we have been blessed for a purpose. The Bible is clear that when we have more than we need, it is for the purpose of filling the needs of others. If we are obedient and listening to the Holy Spirit's voice, He will direct us in how we ought to use our wealth for God's glory. This does not mean that we do not enjoy the blessings that God has given us. Many people fear that all pleasure is from the Enemy, but they forget that God is the one who created things to be enjoyed--Satan merely twists them into idols. 

In the end, we must keep our focus on eternity. In Matthew six, Jesus told us to lay up treasures in heaven. We do this, when we are obedient to God, and only for His glory. When we steal the glory and praise from Him, we have our reward. The riches in heaven are not to be compared to the riches on earth. It would be like clinging to a measly penny, when you could have all the purest gold in the world. Jesus also said that it would be very difficult for those with wealth to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is for the following reason: we get too focused on our stuff, and forget what is really important--loving God most of all, and loving everyone else more than ourselves. 

So we must enjoy the things that God has given us, and be generous to all who need, and always remember that the things of this earth are a mere picture of what is to come.

The Ultimate Choice

Deuteronomy 30:15-16b

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live..."

In another translation of this verse, it says, "See I have set before you a choice: life and good or death and destruction." Dear Christian, we have the same choice today. As we proclaim the gospel, we must understand this fact. The choice is not whether we want to go to heaven or whether we love God. The choice is whether we want to have true life or if we want death and destruction. When we live in disobedience to God, we can expect nothing more than destruction and depression in our lives. I do not disregard that many live lives of luxury and ease apart from God, but we know that one day, they will face the Almighty Judge, and apart from Jesus, they will be separate from God and perfection for eternity. Separation from God is death. The choice is also not a simple choice to pray a prayer or go to church on Sunday, but rather to obey, daily. We make this decision every day of our lives. If we ever decide not to obey and instead to follow our own desires, we will find death and destruction. Brothers and Sisters, I lay before you the same choice. Today, will you decide to follow God and His way? He has given us His word and the Holy Spirit to guide us, but will you listen? What hinders us from a child like obedience is the result of the fall. We declared from the beginning of humanity that we would not listen to God and His warning. Obey and live, or disobey and die. Will we listen today? We must pray that God would break down our pride, so that we can obey His voice, instead of going at it our own way. God help us, and God forgive us when we disobey.  

Rebels Against the Empire

Judges 8:4-9

And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.  And he said to the men of Penuel, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”

Zeba and Zalmunna, two Midian kings, part of an empire that had reigned over the land for seven years, have just fled in battle. The Midianites were vast in number, and it was only by the hand of God that Gideon and his three hundred man army had defeated them in battle. Succoth and Penuel had no reason to trust in Gideon and his men. What if they failed in their attempt to overthrow the kings? Surely there would be punishment for all who aided them. What these cities did not know is that the victory had already been won; only the battle was left to finish. 

Is this not a picture of our world? We have an enemy. He is fierce and unrelenting. He has grown his empire throughout the ages. The Bible is clear that those who are not followers of Christ are followers of the enemy. If we merely look at numbers and power, there is no reason to trust that Christians should ever be able to overthrow the empire of Satan; however, the battle has already been won, through Christ on the cross. We may not hear people say the words, "I will not follow Jesus, because Satan is much too powerful," but in our lives, we reveal who is our lord. We give our pledge to the enemy by living in apathy, or even by living in direct opposition to God. Many fear standing up to this super power, because they are not certain that he can be overthrown, but what they do not realize is that after Christ has returned, and the war is won, it will be too late. Those who side with the enemy will receive judgement. It is hard to be the rebel group in a world that follows the empire of the prince of the power of the air, but take heart dear Christian, God has already won the victory. We will one day spend eternity in peace with Him, if we do not lose heart.