Scripture: Matthew 19 v 21 - 24: "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Matthew 6 v 19 - 21: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the Earth......but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is there will your heart be also."
Nearly everybody loves lots of wealth and material possessions to make living on Earth an easy and joyful experience. The down side of having all the riches of this world is keeping thieves from finding a way to make you share it with them.
From "trusted" accountants to kidnappers, to hackers, scammers and any other kind of theft, you must constantly be on your guard to protect your treasures. The bigger the treasure the more you have to worry about it.
Jesus said its almost impossible for a rich man to make it into the Kingdom of Heaven and its like a loaded camel getting through the eye of the needle. The eye of the needle was one of the ancient gates traders used to bring their goods into Jerusalem. It was too narrow for a fully laden camel to get through. It had to be unloaded outside the gate and its load transported by carts.
Jesus did not say that after we enter His Kingdom through being born again that we should be papers, He says we can live and love life more abundantly. We just need to focus on using it to bless others and preach the truth to them.
When we die we cannot take our wealth with us. We leave this world with nothing because we cannot buy our way into Heaven. Our wealth, bank account, university degrees, sports trophies, political status, royal or common, colour of our skin, even our charitable gifts and humanitarianism count for nothing in Heaven. We are all one in Him.
The only way to make it count in Heaven while down here is to be a born again Christian who is actively serving God. The more you do for others without fanfare and acclamation the more your Heavenly bank account grows. This is eternal wealth that is truly safe. The way you use wealth to extend the Kingdom of God is your true treasure that brings eternal rewards.
The Lord has no problem with you having riches as long as the riches don't have you. Does your wealthy status determine your spirituality? Do you think it earns you a place in Heaven? Does it make you proud and harsh with lesser mortals? For the Lord watches over all.
Like those camels at the eye of the needle gateway we need to offload the burden of wealth by using it under God's guidance and wisdom. Billions of dollars are spent annually on research into HIV/AID's and Tuberculosis among others.
Those diseases are actually demonic manifestations and can be dealt with through prayer bringing deliverance which costs nothing. But in our sophisticated, intellectual, scientific world this answer is too simple and spooky to be contemplated.
I have personally seen Jesus completely heal people with those and other dread diseases, even when they were in their final hours. Jesus chooses who comes home to Him and when, but He still heals and delivers people from death today.
A plumber came to fix some taps and connections in my kitchen one day. I try to never let an opportunity pass to bring Jesus into the conversation. This man turned out to be a Christian who had a wife who had died on the operating table. She had been quickly resuscitated. However she had episodes of dying and coming back to life with migraine headaches. He had a fear of her dying and not coming back.
He brought her to me in case I could help. The minute she saw me she died. The Holy Spirit said there is a spirit of death over her. Bind it and set her free. That was all it took for Jesus to heal her and bring peace of mind to this family.
We need to lose our reluctance to confront the unknown. Stop being afraid of the dark side. We need to spiritually go through the eye of the needle and lose our religious baggage of modern traditions, psychology, mental problems, self help programs. We need to follow what Jesus did no matter what anyone says or thinks. He said through Hosea...My people perish for lack of knowledge. These words keep me blogging!
I vividly remember being asked to pray for an unsaved gay man over a mobile phone held to his ear while he was comatose from HIV/ AIDS in his final days. While I was praying from 800kms away he woke up and asked his brother what my name was. This gay man said, She is standing next to my bed and he perfectly described me. I had no idea that I was standing there!
He then fell into a natural sleep. The next morning when they arrived to visit him he was dressed and ready to be discharged from hospital perfectly healthy. He phoned me later and told me he had received Jesus as his Saviour and Lord. I followed what Jesus did when He healed from a distance. He spoke the Word and it happened. He gave us His authority to use here and now.
Our God can do anything and nothing is too difficult for Him. If we are obedient and submitted to His will He uses us to meet the needs of others freely. Without charge. These free gifts from Him bring Heavenly wealth to us that He may be glorified.
So don't make an idol out of your wealth and possessions just use them wisely as Jesus directs. He will bless you a hundredfold on this Earth and throughout eternity in Heaven. If He is watching over you and yours there is no greater safety.
Psalm 127 v 1: "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
Jesus watches over us and He is our only real protector. When we are in Heaven one day we will be astonished at how many times He prevented evil from touching us. He is the One who went through the eye of the needle on the Cross. He carried all our sinful baggage which got dumped in Hell, and reconciled us to our Father.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for watching over Your children and their possessions. Please help us to be use Godly wisdom in how we handle our wealth. Let us give, pray for and bless those in need as You direct us Lord, not grudgingly but joyfully to Your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.