Rich Toward God

Having an abundance of possessions can give rise to challenging questions. For whose benefit are your possessions, anyway? And what will happen to them when your time on this mortal coil is over? Some people leave vast sums of money to educational institutions. Business magnate T. Boone Pickens donated more than $650 million to his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, two-thirds of that to the school’s sports programs.* I heard of a woman in Italy who left $13 million to an alley cat she had rescued, and a German man who left $372 million to his dog. Jesus told the story of a wealthy man whose crops were so productive he tore down his barns and built bigger barns so he could store all he harvested. The man intended to “eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19). When he died unexpectedly, the question was, “Whose will those things be?” (verse 20). Jesus said, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (verse 21). Jesus taught that what we possess should be dedicated to God.

Rather than being bent on acquiring more simply for the purpose of acquiring more, we receive in order that we may give.

This isn’t to suggest that God is against wealth.

He is not. In the vast majority of cases, people are wealthy because they have worked hard and made wise decisions. After all, “it is He who gives you power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). But in an age where the emphasis is on getting and having, we need to remember that our wealth isn’t given to us only for selfish reasons. Someone once said, “We make a living by what we earn.

We make a life by what we give.”† It’s a principle that applies to all people irrespective of their bank balance. The best investment you can make is in the bank of heaven. Money retained may buy a car or a house, or it may swell an investment account. Money given to God will win souls and grow His kingdom.

If you are rich toward God, you will deepen your experience with Him.