Riches Could Be A Blessing Or A Curse

The first recorded man tremendously blessed by God with riches was Abram (exalted father) later re-named by God Abraham (father of many nations). This is what our Bible records:

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him. “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram, your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” (Gen. 17:1-7 NIV)

Out of the thirty six parables of the Lord Jesus Christ, eighteen of them, or one half, concerns money. There are at least two thousand verses on money. Money is that important to God and to man. That is why Jesus Christ said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4) quoting from the Old Testament what God “His (our) Father told Moses when the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years being supplied with manna from heaven as their daily bread (Deut. 8:3). Stated otherwise, we live in this world physically by “eating” bread and spiritually the Word of God.

The Bible tells us that “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3 KJV). Connecting this verse to Col. 1:14 to 17:

“In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”Cross references:

1. Colossians 1:14 : S Ro 3:24
2. Colossians 1:14 : Eph 1:7
3. Colossians 1:15 : S Jn 14:9
4. Colossians 1:15 : S Jn 1:18; 1Ti 1:17; Heb 11:27
5. Colossians 1:15 : S ver 18
6. Colossians 1:16 : S Jn 1:3
7. Colossians 1:16 : Eph 1:20, 21
8. Colossians 1:16 : S Ro 11:36
9. Colossians 1:17 : S Jn 1:2

Going back to verse 14 of John, which says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth”, obviously the Lord Jesus Christ is the one being referred to in the aforequoted verses. Therefore, God created riches or money, so man may live comfortably, with the Bible as his “manufacturer’s manual”.

Although the Lord Jesus was and is extremely rich without equal in money and in everything, as he owns everything in this world (Ps. 24:1; 50:10-12), yet he was not carrying with him or keeping much money at all. He did not establish a Central Bank where he could keep his riches. He spends as the need arises. Thus, one day Peter told him, Lord, the Roman government is asking for your tax money. He told Peter “xxx go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them (tax collectors) for me and thee” (Matt. 17:27, KJV). Generosity was a virtue of Jesus Christ as evidenced by the fact that though Peter did not ask him to pay tax money for him, he said, “give unto them for me and thee”. What a blessing for Peter, someone paying for his taxes without his asking!

There is nothing wrong in being wealthy, provided it is gotten thru honest and lawful means. The Bible says, …. For Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold” (Gen. 13:2 NLT). If one is a public or government official, that one should be able to explain his source of wealth, if inquired into.

God gives us the “power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant” [old and new] (Deut. 8:18). The will and purpose of God in prospering men is to spread the gospel, not to keep it for when he goes out of this world, he can’t bring with him even a single cent (Job. 1:21; Eccl. 5:15, 1 Tim. 6:7).

The great Apostle Paul, said “And having food and raiment (clothing) let us be therewith content (1 Tim. 6:8 KJV). Notice that Paul does not even mention a house, much more an airconditioned one. Don’t take this literally. It simply means, “be content with just enough” for it is not good to keep too much money, especially, if one is a public official, and more so when asked to explain the source and no credible explanation is made.

In Prov. 30, the wise Agur said, “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, who is the LORD? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Prov. 30: 7-9 KJV). This simply means too much riches is not good, neither is it good to be very poor for it might drive one to steal.

The Bible tells us of Solomon’s wealth and splendor in this wise:

“The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land. King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days. The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift--articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue--the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.” (1 Kings 10:14-29 NIV)

King Solomon’s annual income of gold was about 25 tons (vs. 14), and he reigned 40 years. In gold alone, his riches was one million tons in 40 years. But these were tribute money - - clean money, included in his SALN (Bible, in those days). The Bible tells us “So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom” (vs. 23).

It is significant that the wise King Solomon whose riches could not be surpassed by anyone before him and after him said: “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22 KJV). Notably, Solomon’s riches was a blessing from God. Is your riches a result of the exercise or application of your God-given talent and hard work? If so, rejoice forevermore, God has blessed you indeed, and no sorrowful episode awaits your future. If not, it will be a curse unto you. (FGBMFI Davao City Chapter Bulletin June 9, 2012)

Doing The Hard Work

Henry Sy, the owner of a chain of SM Mega Malls in all major cities in the Philippines and the number one taxpayer according to BIR records, in an interview, said: “Success does not come overnight and it is the result of hard work”.

There are no short-cuts to success. Of course, there can be an exception by marrying a rich man or woman. However, more often this ends in divorce, because the primary reason is not LOVE. Or one can be a drug lord or gambling lord or engage in graft and corruption, if a government official, and by other dishonest means for any businessman, but these do not last long. It oftentimes end in tragedy and extreme embarrassment, if not incarceration, or even self-inflicted death or suicide to render any investigation moot or no longer possible.

Likewise, Christlikeness is not attained overnight and it requires hard work. This is what the Apostle Paul was trying to tell his disciple, the young Pastor Timothy, when he told him how he should behave by example so he could effectively teach believers how they should live. Specifically, he said: “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness”. These are all virtues of Jesus Christ, and the attributes of God himself. Then, he added: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…” (1 Tim. 6:11-12 KJV). This is the ultimate goal of every believer, and this is hard work! This is the reason why no Bishop or any official of the Church of God who is a novice (or new Christian) qualifies to be appointed as such because that one will be “lifted up with pride” and fall into the condemnation of the devil (1 Tim. 3:6 KJV). This is the basis of the tradition or rule of churches, fellowships and other religious organizations that only matured Christians are qualified to be appointed or elected as leaders.

How will we know that someone is a matured Christian? The scripture says that “By their fruit, you will recognize them” (Matt. 7:20 NIV).

A young tree will not bear fruit. Only the matured ones do bear fruit. There are some trees that do not bear fruit. These are to be cut down. Likewise, only mature Christians, not necessarily in physical age, will bear fruit. In the Scripture, a fruit may be souls brought to the Kingdom of God. Also it refers to the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance [self-control] (Gal. 5:22-23 KJV). Like some trees, some Christians don’t bear fruit of souls, or show the fruit of the Holy Spirit. They need to mature some more. How? Read the Bible everyday, attend Sunday school, Bible studies, fellowships, and other Christian gatherings, and by then, have an spiritual relationship with God. This is hard work. Notably, there is absolutely no spiritual short-cut. And this spiritual struggle is for a lifetime.

In life, notice that every man successful or abundant in material wealth, except a few who are fortunate to be born with silver platter or with rich parents, had worked hard—very hard. There is no easy road to material success.

The richer a person, the more humble he becomes in action and in words.

The son of Henry Ford, the manufacturer of Ford vehicles, was asked why he drives a Ford sports car while his rich father drives only the original T-Ford car. He answered, “Because my father is rich”.

I had a very rich client, a doctor of medicine but chose to manage their own family business consisting mostly of prime real estate in Davao City Poblacion. Their family owns, among other vast properties in Davao City, a 40-hectare golf club where the new SM Mega Mall and the Toyota car complex are located, and a new hospital is being built. Their family donated the 10-hectare City Hall Complex at Panabo City. There is a kilometer avenue named after their father, the donation documents to the City of Davao I had the privilege to make and notarize. All the sand and gravel used in constructing my office building was supplied by their Sand and Gravel business. His favorite office attire is a white T-shirt without collar. If one does not know him and he is not seated in his office desk, he would be mistaken for a janitor. His car was an old Volkswagen. In his conversations, he was humble and amiable, and he was very generous. To my recollection, he was never interviewed in TV or radio.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the richest of all rich, but he was very humble. The Bible says: “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:5-10 NLT).

Thanks God for his love for man, like the Good father that he is, he provided an easy way for His faithful children (Christians) to travel along the rough road toward the narrow gate of heaven, by sending His only begotten Son to be the believer’s substitute and savior. He provided an easy way for believers to enter heaven by simply believing in his only begotten Son. Apostle Paul elaborated: “For it is by grace (unmerited favor) you have been saved, through faith – (believing) and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9 NIV). Only believe till our last breath. Such “believing” must be supported by action, not in words only. We have a Father in heaven rich in mercy and loving beyond compare, awaiting our arrival. (FGBMFI Davao City Bulletin March 17, 2012)