The rich of this present world should not be arrogant nor too hopeful of their wealth

The Bible is very clear about one’s attitude when one’s a rich person. Whether you inherited your wealth or got by your hard work and intellect there are no exceptions. Please refer to the below verses to understand what the Bible speaks about this:

• Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. (Psalm 62:10)
• Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28)
• Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings,
  flying like an eagle toward heaven. (Proverbs 23:4-5)
• 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. (1 Timothy 6:17)

Let me make it clear, there is nothing wrong with being rich. However becoming rich by means of corrupt activities is a sin. Never rob nor extort anyone to increase your wealth, for you will need to answer for all such actions on Judgement Day. By the way some people do get a preview of Judgement Day when they land up in prison for financial crimes. I hope they repent and do not do it again, lest they get a higher punishment both on Earth and in the afterlife.

Some people put too much importance of acquiring money. Money can get you a quiet house but cannot buy you a peaceful home. They think their children will understand if they ignore them in the pursuit of money. They think their spouse and relations will not bother if they too are ignored as they neglect them to gain wealth. And then when the spouse files for divorce, they start running after the preachers. Not so much because they love their spouse but rather to avoid the divorce solely to avoid paying alimony or a costly separation deal. They start seeking counselors against their children and relatives who they feel are after getting their share of money. Yes, such people do exist!

Perhaps friends and family will ignore such clamoring for wealth by their money hungry man or woman. However there are many ways by which people do lose wealth. An earthquake, a forest fire or a war can destroy property and resources at a very fast rate.  At times even the insurance companies refuse pay out in cases using whatever legal loopholes they can. And imagine then how people get so upset to see their effort all go to waste when such things happens.

So use money but don’t let your money use you. Don’t let your money play tricks on your mind and soul that you become haughty towards your servants, colleagues, friends and family and earn their curses in return for your vile words and deeds towards them. It is therefore foolish, to make fun of those who are poor and even those who are little less rich than yourself. Because if you lose your wealth, you can fall to their level or even below. Where is the honour in loving money, then? Not one bit!

It’s better that you put your hope in God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. You don’t have to pay for the spring nor the rains and yet God sends them freely for you to enjoy. He even gives you free air while industries are happy to charge you for anything they can put trademarks on!

Moreover, God gives you his salvation through Jesus Christ without any charge. This salvation is priceless indeed. You don’t have to earn nor can you actually earn it. Therefore, be humble and grateful to God.

In prosperity, give thanks to God with humility and fear lest by pride you abuse God’s benefits and so offend him (King St. Louis of France)

 

Know wisdom by reading God’s Word

To know the wisdom of God for your life you don’t always need to wait for an emotional event with some grand piano music playing around. Nor does it always have to be mysterious nor mystical. You can pray that you get the wisdom of God. And then do the simplest thing to receive his wisdom; READ THE HOLY BIBLE.

For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.  It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

There are people who can prophesy the words of God to you in true holiness. Then there are people who have studied the Bible and can so remind you of God’s words as per your situation. But what do you do when you don’t have such blessed people around you? No need to fear, just open up your Bible and read it.

In the Bible you can refer to the Gospel for your salvation. About the end times you can refer to the various books of the prophets such as Daniel, Ezekiel etc and also the Book of Revelation. For reflection and comfort in God you can always read the Psalms. To get instructions on wise conduct you can read the books of wisdom such Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. All these books are in the Bible. Don’t stop at them, there’s a lot of other books and verses in the Bible that you can read to get inspiration, knowledge, testimonies, protection, counsel that the Lord God has desired for you to receive since the creation of time.

In prosperity be humble before God

In prosperity, give thanks to God with humility and fear lest by pride you abuse God’s benefits and so offend him (King St. Louis of France)

In adversity, it’s easy to be humble before God as you know that your ability cannot save you. You therefore come in prayer and in deep respect before God for your breakthrough or miracle. One of the reasons why non Christians get miracles when they pray to Jesus Christ is because they know that they have expended the last straw and have nothing left to save them. So acknowledging their helplessness, they usually pray to Jesus saying they don’t have anything to deserve a miracle but come humble appealing to his mercy.

Now contrast this with people who weren’t the best of moral men and had prosperity. How due to their pride in themselves they didn’t give God the honor that he deserves and by this they later fell into great trouble. Let me give you some examples of three kings mentioned in the Bible where their wrong attitude towards God became their undoing.

King Solomon

King Solomon of Israel was abundantly rich. He had loads and loads of gold and precious stones. Yet in his defiant and ungodly ambition to be great, he multiplied horses which was forbidden for a king of Israel. Deuteronomy 17:16 says that, “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the LORD has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ Solomon however didn’t get punished for this sin. So taking wrong advantage of this, he multiplied wives, yes and not just getting more one wife.  But that’s not the end of Solomon’s sin. By the evil influence of his wives, he built a multitude of worship centers for false gods of his wives, all over the land of Israel, in defiance of the Lord God’s commandments which is against the worship of false gods.

You can read all of 1 Kings 11 to get details on this. So in the end God judged Solomon and raised multiple adversaries against him. These were Hadad the Edomite and Rezon the son of Eliada who led their armies against Israel during this times of Solomon. That was not all, the Lord divided the kingdom of Israel, such that Jeroboam the son of Nebat got 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel for himself. The glory of Solomon was therefore diminished greatly due to his own pride in his own wisdom instead of respecting what God had told him in the Holy Scriptures.

Sennacherib the king of Assyria

There was a wicked king who was called Sennacherib king of Assyria, who achieved great victories against many kingdoms. His armed forces brutally killed many people in their evil wars. Then he turned his attention towards Israel. The Jews were dismayed when Sennacherib blasphemed against the Lord God of Israel by sending a message to the people “Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!” (2 Chronicles 32:14-15)

Not only Sennacherib but also his servants gave such wicked messages to the Israelite’s. This ultimately led to the great downfall of Sennacherib which you can read as mentioned below:

Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. (2 Chronicles 32:20-21)

The impious Herod

Herod was a king who was prosperous and wicked. He didn’t give true honor to God (read Acts 12:20-24 to get an idea about this). So an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

Remember that whether you are a king or not you still need to be humble.Just so that no one mistakes that humility is only for kings and leaders to follow, let’s remember the following words of Jesus our Lord:

• For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11)
• Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

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