A Point of View: Rich or Poor

No matter who you are I’m sure at one time or another you’ve heard the phrase, “Money is the root of all evil” but did you know that the actual saying is “The Love of Money is the root of all evil”. Stop and give it some though and you may wonder, is that indeed the Truth?
   Two of the greatest Falsehoods in modern day Christianity are the Prosperity Gospel and the Poverty Gospel.
   If we do a little research we’ll find that the Bible does not condemn wealth and neither should we. The Bible does not uphold poverty either as the pathway to righteousness so, Nor should we.
   In fact in Hebrews 11, you can read of heroes and martyrs, rich and poor, who made up the fabric of what we’ve come to know as Christianity and it’s history.
   What made them distinctive was not their wealth, but how they obediently used their blessings and opportunities to further the work of GOD on earth.
   If we have to do is look hard enough and we’ll see that clearly, the problem is not being rich or wealthy. The issue exists with the attitude towards wealth in our hearts.  
   Remember GOD gave us the Ten Commandment? Let me direct you to number 10 which is a law against coveting.  
   We should have NO animosity towards anyone who has been entrusted with greater possessions than us. When it comes to material things and earthly wealth, GOD never condemns it or the wealthy but warns that SIN enters the equation when money becomes the ultimate goal. When the love of money becomes our main objective and pursuit in life.
   In Matthew 6:24, JESUS points out “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and money.”
   Something we should all never forget, Clergy and lay people alike is that JESUS himself talks about how hard it is for the rich to remain untangled by the trappings of their wealth saying, “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of GOD.”
Rich or poor, we all have the same responsibility: To avoid wasting our lives on things that won’t last into eternity and to be good and faithful stewards to those around us who have less than us.
Happy Holidays and GOD Speed.