Matt. 19:24 – 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.”
The rich man
in this case was not following Jesus Christ when Jesus called him. He was
already wealthy and had everything he needed so asking him to drop all of that
and follow Jesus became hard for him to do. But the blessings, riches or wealth
that the servant of God receives as they keep focused on God cannot cannot be
compared with this example.
In the case of those who have a healthy
relationship with God, they have already entered the Kingdom of God, unlike the
rich man who hadn’t entered yet. These men and women of God who want to serve
God with all that they are can manifest richest and wealth to the glory of God
and to be a blessing to others. God will readily increase anybody whom He knows
would be a blessing to others.
Poverty is A
Choice
2 Cor. 8:9 – For ye know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for
your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Why would
anyone want to live in poverty if Christ came to take it away? Jesus became
poor that you might be rich so you should refuse to be in poverty of any form.
He has already died and freely given us riches by taking on our poverty so
anyone who wants to remain in poverty makes the choice to do so.
Deut. 8:18 –
But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth
thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he
sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
God gives
power to get or make wealth; and He does this to establish his covenant that he
sware unto thy fathers…as we also see in Genesis 22:17. God has already sworn,
even to Abraham, to bless and multiply his descendants. This is a covenant that
still stands. The scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35). So if a person
wills to be used of God to be a blessing to others, God will readily increase
them.
“That in
blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy
seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore;
and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Psalm 113:7 – He raiseth up the
poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
Some people
use Psalm 113:7 to argue over this topic but they fail to see a clear picture
of what God is saying. Psalm 113:7 was first declared in 1 Sam. 2:8 and it states:
1 Sam. 2:8 – He raiseth up the
poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them
among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of
the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.
The question
you should ask yourself is where does He raise and lift them up to? This verse
clearly speaks of raising the poor and the needy out of penury and poverty. He
lifts them up to sit among princes and to inherit the throne of glory. Among
princes and glory is riches, wealth, gold, etc.
John 12:8 – For the poor always
ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
Poverty is
not in the state of a man but first in his mentality, the way he thinks. If he
changes his thinking, his state of living will also change. John 12:8 clearly
confirms that there will always be people with the poverty mentality so if you
find yourself here, it is a choice or stay there or ask God where He wants you
to be.
The Rich Man
& Lazarus
“There was a
certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day…”
From Luke
16:19-31, we see that
this rich man was extravagant, he entailed great expense, as fromchoice materials, fine work, etc.
He was wasteful, no relationship with God, and was also prideful in his riches.
These are not qualities or fruits that are found in true believers who are
focused on serving God and doing His will.
Don’t
Short-Change Yourself
Don’t short
change yourself because of false prophets or false teachings. That the
prosperity message is being preached by false prophets does not mean God’s
agenda for you to prosper has ceased. He is the same God yesterday, today and
forever; hence His plan for you to prosper still stands, He never changes
because of the wicked things that men do.
Waste Will
Not Be Tolerated
Throughout
scripture, we see that God does not like waste. Prov. 30:8-9 says “don’t
make me poor lest I steal and don’t make me rich lest I be full and deny thee” [paraphrased].
So you can actually get to a point where riches and wealth can lead you astray
as mentioned earlier…thus we should be more concerned about God’s plan for us,
rather than pursue after wealth and riches.
Remove far from me vanity
and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for
me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest
I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. (Prov. 30:8-9)
Warning!! If wealth and riches
will hinder you from entering heaven, you are better of without them. But if
you will humble yourself and do His will, God blesses or increases those who
serve Him and His glory can also been seen in their life through wealth and
riches received from the Lord.
Be Content!!
The same way
God teaches through experiences (of poverty), is the same way He teaches us
through riches and wealth, of abundance…but the ultimate place is not to remain
poor or in poverty. Hence, it is not for us to focus on riches or
wealth or poverty, but first in contentment.
That is, do not
pursue after riches or wealth, just stay focused on God according to Matthew
6:33. Like Paul said, I know what it is like to be poor and I know what it is
like to abound [paraphrased]. Paul knows what it is like to be poor and he also
knows what it is like to be rich/wealthy. So he understand both world and knows
the plan of God concerning his life, hence his contentment.
Not that I
speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to
abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be
hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me.9Philippians 4:11-13)
“The getting
of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek
death.” Prov. 21:6.
The above
verse speaks of wisdom. This verse clearly shows that there are means to
getting treasures or wealth, etc. You can get it the wrong way (lies,
deceit, etc) or you can get it right way (trusting God, from God, God)
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