Title: Faithful (Spiritual) Rich
Contents
The text is 1 Timothy 6:3-10
Wealthy! It's the word everyone wants to be. This is the word you want to be called.
I don't use such a word, but in the 50's, when GNP was less than $50, the word poor was commonly used.
Let me ask you. Is it good to be rich? Would the poor be good?
◎ A church school teacher at a church tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 that Jesus told the children, and he asks, “Which kind of person do you want to be, rich or Lazarus?” When asked, one student answered, “Teacher, I want to live like a rich man in this world and like Lazarus in heaven.”
So, are these answers only for young children who are still immature, aren't we?
※ Let's go deeper into the Word.
Are all rich people happy and good? It is not. The rich man in Luke 16 may have become worldly rich, but from a spiritual point of view, he was not religiously rich. He didn't know God or his neighbor, he lived only for himself, and then he passed away, and his soul was tormented in the flames of hell.
So, “what is a happy rich man?” It means a person who serves God well because he has a broad heart, is good at giving, and has good faith.
In the West, in order to be called rich, you do not have to have money alone, you have to have a wide education, you have to do a lot of volunteer work, and you have to give a lot to others. We don't call rich people rich, we call them poor.
Now redefining the wealthy, not just from money, but from a spiritual perspective.
First: A person who is rich in God.
Strictly speaking, being rich doesn't just mean being rich. In addition to being rich, you should also have other valuable things in abundance. We Christians must become wealthy in faith before we become wealthy. If you do not become rich in faith and become rich in wealth, you will see that it does not lead to happiness, but leads to unhappiness and curses of the soul in too many cases.
Jesus spoke of this in parables in Luke 12:16-21. Those who are not rich in God and have means for themselves are not called “happy” but “stupid”. That's why this parable is called "the parable of the rich fool." There are more people like this in this world than you think.
When wealth becomes the object of love more than God, it is the end of happiness and the beginning of unhappiness.
Therefore, in Matthew 6:24, Jesus also said, “You cannot serve both God and money.” At this time, we have to choose between two choices. God or money? There are people who say I am both.
If God is the object of love, money will follow. But when money (wealth) is the object of love, sadly God leaves us. Therefore, we believers must become rich in faith to be rich in God. To this end, as we have the opportunity, “we must first lay up our riches in heaven.” (Mt 6:20-21)
Second: He is a person with a good sense of wealth.
There is an old saying, “Are people born and people are born, or are people born and people are born?”. It means people come first.
God must take priority over wealth. We should serve God and treat our material things like servants. The love of money is a big obstacle to our religious life, so we need to be on guard. Money is not for love, but for good. No matter how much money you have, if you are the object of love, you are not a happy rich man. If you know that you are satisfied with your hard work and give thanks, you can live happily even if you are poor. However, those who become slaves to money and do not have a proper view of wealth are not happy and wealthy, no matter how rich they are.
The Lord spoke through the Apostle Paul. Verse 7 We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it, Verse 8, that we will be content if we have food and clothing.
Finally, here is the article written by Dr. Geun-mo Jeong (an elder of Samsung First Church), a world-renowned nuclear expert and the 12th and 15th Minister of Science and Technology, in “I want to be a faithful Christian rather than a great scientist”
“Wealth should be seen not as a means of pleasure, but as a tool to carry out our mission. Wealth acquired by worldly desires never lasts.” Let's promise three things.
*Lord (1) Make me rich in faith
(2) Make me love God more than wealth.
(3) Let us live with thanksgiving