Psalm 37:16-17 NIV
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Recently I was reminded of a TV show I watched when I was in the world. This show would featured celebrities who displayed their house and everything they had to the public. Many of them had several luxury cars, and closets that looked like a store in a mall with all the clothes and shoes they owned.
What I thought was, how empty it is to have such wealth and possessions and not have Jesus Christ. The truth is, that if someone does not have a relationship with Jesus, no matter how much money or possessions they have they do not have real peace or joy. Peace and joy are fruits of the Spirit which are only accesible in Christ. Most importantly, if someone doesn’t have Jesus they do not have eternal life. None of their wealth will be taken with them into eternity. I am not saying it is bad to have money or nice things, but as born-again Christians we should never admire the wealth or success of unbelievers.
Take it from King Solomon in the Bible, the richest and wisest king who said:
I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:8-11 NIV)
Let’s remember that no matter what we do or do not have, the true riches are in Jesus Christ the Savior.
