“If I just had a little more money, then things would be so much better.” Would you like to be rich? I think I’d be really good at it. Perhaps you look at people with lots of money and think to yourself, “I would handle that money so much better than they do.” Or perhaps, you are filthy rich.
What Would People Do for $5 Million dollars
- 50% would listen to only country music for the rest of their lives.
- 42% would have their teeth removed.
- 50% would allow one random person on earth to die.
- 20% would live in solitude for 20 years.
How Much Money Is Rich? According to a Gallup Poll:
- People who make $30,000 a year think $74,000 a year is rich.
- People who make $50,000 a year think $100,000 a year is rich.
- People who make $1 million a year think $5 million a year is rich.
So, according to a Gallup Poll, almost no one actually feels rich. How much money do you need to be happy? Jesus tells us.
Luke 12:15
Our volume of stuff does not bring us the quality of life.
What You Don’t Have Is What You Need to Be Happy
Jesus speaks of a rich man who had a record year on his farm. He began to build bigger barns and lived a life of ease. He spent his money on parties and stuff. Then Jesus has some harsh words for him.
Luke 12:20
Luke 12:21
God was not mad because the man was rich. After all, he was a farmer and God sent the rain and caused the crops to grow. The harsh words came because the man completely missed the point. He did not recognize that true happiness and wealth are not found in what you own, but become yours when you have a relationship with God.
Good News Bad News
The good news is that you are rich. Three billion people in our world live on only two dollars a day. A way to monitor your richness is to look at the things that upset you. I got really irritated with my car’s remote starter recently. The app on my phone only works about 2/3 of the time. I tap my phone to start my car and two out of three times I come outside to a cold car. When I go to a fast-food restaurant and it takes me nine minutes to get food that is being prepared for me, I begin to tap my foot in frustration. The other day, my internet company went down and I was without Netflix! The things that bother me as a modern American are somewhat embarrassing.
If you drive a car, you are in the top 15% of the wealthiest people in the world. Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes 5:19 that it is good to get wealth from God and it’s good to enjoy it. It’s appropriate to live a life of gratitude and we should not be embarrassed by the blessing of God.
The bad news is that you are rich! Jesus tells us that it’s actually a disadvantage to be rich.
Luke 18:24
Luke 18:25
It is harder to have a relationship with God when you have lots of wealth. We have plenty of food and a place to live in. I have never really had to pray to the Lord asking for my daily bread. I have never had to rely on God for my basic human needs. You would think that Americans would be so peaceful and content. But of course, we’re not. Our wealth distracts us. We are busier with more demands and more options. Our stuff owns us.
We are warned in Luke 12:15 to “guard against greed.” It’s not the stuff that is bad. It is how this stuff owns our hearts. Luke 12:21 tells us that it is a fool who focuses on wealth.
The curse of money is that it will not heal. Money cannot fix depression.
How to Handle Money
In 1 Timothy 6:18-19 it tells us to use the money to do good. We are to be generous and ready to share with others. A result of being generous and sharing will be storing up treasure for the future so that others may experience true life. And what is true life? A relationship with Jesus is a true life.
At the Rock, we try to do things that matter by reaching out and loving the least of these. The New Life Center in Fargo is a homeless mission that we really love. They do an amazing job of helping people rebuild their lives. The last bunch of Easter Sundays, the biggest Sundays on the church calendar, we have given our entire offering to the New Life Center. We are a small church, but we want to give our first and our best to God. Jesus told us that whatever we do for the “least of these” we do for him. (Matthew 25:40). Remember, if you feel like you need more or you want more, those who love money will never have enough. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
The Rock, Your Place to Belong
At the Rock, you can belong before you believe. Use the links to the right to begin your relationship with Rock Church. If you are local to Fargo, click the “free movie ticket” button to the right and check out one of our services, every Sunday at 10 AM, at West Acres Cinema. If you are not local to our area, that’s okay. There are all kinds of ways that you can participate in the happenings at Rock Church. We have many people that only interact with our church online. Use the “become a friend” button to be included in everything we are doing.
