“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition” (I Timothy 6:9).

When it comes to material wealth, it is good to remember that: “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up” (I Samuel 2:7). Rather than encouraging man to pursue wealth, the Bible contains strong warning against the deceitfulness of riches. “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:10). It is not what a man possesses that tunes his heart, but his attitude toward those possessions (many or few).

Who then is rich? In Genesis 14:22, Abraham said, “I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth.” The word “possessor” comes from a root word meaning to create. As Almighty Creator, God has the right of ownership of heaven and earth. Yet, when He came to earth, He said to a scribe one day, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). As He hung dying on the cross, the soldiers at His feet gambled for His clothes, and He was buried in a borrowed tomb. From the world’s perspective, He owned nothing, but this could not change the fact that He was, and is, the possessor of heaven and earth.

As Christians, we are “children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16,17); but, “The eyes of (our) understanding (need to be) enlightened; that (we) may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe” (Ephesians 1:18,19). CJH