Anyway, having money is great! Having stuff makes us feel good. We take pride in owning the latest gadgets and gizmos. Though I’ll admit I look at a Best Buy ad in the newspaper and don’t even know what most of the stuff is. Some people need that new big screen TV. Some have to have a new outfit to wear each week. For some it’s a new car or a bigger house or better furniture or another whatever to add to their collection.
But having money isn’t always so great. There’s a real danger in wealth and having lots of stuff. Riches are very deceptive. And lest you think I’m only talking about the Bill Gates’ and Donald Trumps of the world, I’m talking about you and me! The vast majority of the world would look at us and say we’re rich. They’d be right.
The problem is that our wealth tends to make us think that we are self-sufficient. We tend to think that if we’ve got lots of stuff then we’ve got it made. We tend to think that living the American Dream lifestyle is what it’s all about. And in our wealth, as we accumulate possessions and provide for all our wants and needs, we also tend to dismiss our need for God.
Jesus said in Matthew 19:23, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” See, there was this young man who had many possessions and he came to Jesus wanting to know what he had to do to have eternal life. Maybe he thought Jesus would say to him, “Son, you have nothing to worry about. Look at your life! God has blessed you with many things. Surely you are highly favored in His eyes! And you’re a good man, Charlie Brown. You’ve kept the commandments. Congratulations! What more could God want from you?”
But that’s not what he heard. Instead Jesus told him: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matt. 19:21). Sadly, the man went away grieving, because he had many possessions. He loved his stuff more than he loved Christ. He clung to his possessions rather than clinging to the only One who could give him the eternal life for which he sought. For him the treasures of earth were more important than the treasures of heaven.
This man came to Jesus because he knew that something was missing in his life. Most wealthy people who recognize such a void try to fill it with more and more material things. But he missed out on the infinitely greater blessings that could have been his if only he would have been willing to abandon them for the sake of Christ. If only he would have recognized that he really needed a Savior rather than relying upon himself.
Wealth and morality are a dangerous combination. Those who think they’re good and those who think they’ve got it all often think they don’t need God. That’s why it’s so hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever wants anything more than they want Christ, forfeit Christ and the eternal life that only He can give. Whoever fails to recognize his sin and come humbly to Jesus for His mercy and forgiveness will never find eternal life in his own morality.
What about you? Are you willing to leave all your earthly treasures and follow Jesus as your supreme Treasure? Can I tell you this: No one who follows Christ will ever be sorry. You might be giving up things that seem precious to you now, but what you gain will be so much greater than anything you’ve ever known – both in this present life and in the life to come. Nothing can compare with the blessings of God’s grace poured out upon those who forsake the world and follow Jesus. They will never lack for anything good, for He will open up His hand and satisfy every longing of their heart. He’s done it for me. He can do it for you.
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