NB: This is a continuation from the article: The rich man parable
Every person in today’s world want to get money, be rich; no one wants to be poor. Many people are doing whatever they can to get rich but they do not know the dangers of getting money, riches and wealth, particularly if you are a Christian.
Dangers of getting money and riches
1. Depression
Love of money brings depression because whatever the amount you have, is not enough; you are not content. The poor people are dreaming and working day and night to get money, get rich. The rich are either bored with what they have or they want more and more. Competition to get what our neighbors have or get more and better than them (coveting) has become today’s life.
2. Satan worship
Those who want to get rich pursue all kinds of things that break their hearts in getting money; they do crazy stuffs. We have seen men kill one another, join the worship of Satan by selling their soul to be rich, sell their children or parents to Satan etc.
3. Chop off the word
If you are not careful with riches, they can chop off the word (the gospel). Mt 13:22 …the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. When some people who were in the word, going to church, bible study suddenly get rich, that becomes the end between them and God.
Because of money, riches and wealthy, they cannot anymore make to bible study, to church, they have other things to do. They lose interest in the things of the scripture (God) and the word is chopped out by riches and wealthy.
In the rich man parable (Luke chapter 12), the rich man became rich than he was before; he got more money than before. This is what he says, ‘I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry’. He already had plenty of barns but those were not enough. Most people in those days had no barns; barns were only for the rich.
4. Self worship
All the ‘I wills’ of the rich man in a business context make sense but in God’s context, this is the highest degree of foolishness. He does not say or ask what God wants by giving Him all that. He does not even thank God for blessing and giving him all that wealth.
Biblical advice on getting rich
It is not wrong to have possessions, be blessed materially, be rich and wealthy but it is dangerous too. Yes it is! In Timothy, Paul teaches about the dangers of getting rich or striving to be rich and he gives an advice.
1 Tim 6:17-19: Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Paul advises the rich that;
- They be not high-minded
- Not to trust in riches but in the living God
- They do good
- They be rich in good works
- They distribute their riches (sharing)
- They be open to communicate (be approachable)
- Place their investment in heaven
No one is poor in this world. With what we have, we are rich. You do not need to earn a million dollars a month to be rich but being rich is being content with what you have. Since we are all rich, do we use our riches in a Godly way by keeping God’s words (Paul advises)?
Be blessed.
