Worldly Wealth

Today I started with Luke 16:19-31. This is the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus, a beggar. Both men die, and while Lazarus goes to heaven to be at Abraham's side, the rich man goes to hell and is torment and agony. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to him to give him a drop of water, and Abraham tells him that is not possible. Then the rich mans asks Abraham to send Lazarus from death to his brothers on earth to warn them about hell. Here is what Abraham says,

“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

We can read this passage this time of year and compare it to that of Scrooge. The rich man spent his life on earth worried about money and nothing else. And just like Scrooge, the rich man spent his life ignoring the needs of the less fortunate, who sometimes even ended up on his doorstep. And what did all his wealth and all his fortunes get him in the end? An eternity of torment, because he failed to open up his heart. Scrooge on the other hand, gets a second chance as we all know. Let's see what Proverbs has to say about wealth today.

2 Tainted wealth has no lasting value,
but right living can save your life.
3 The Lord will not let the godly go hungry,
but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked.
4 Lazy people are soon poor;
hard workers get rich.
5 A wise youth harvests in the summer,
but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.

What I like about these verses especially is verse 4. Lazy people get soon poor, hard workers get rich. And in verse 3 it says God will not let the Godly go poor. Both verses tell us that God will take care of us always. He will not let us go hungry- ever. He also tells us that there are reqards for diligence. Hard work does not go unnoticed by God. Part of all this though is being wise with the money you do receive. Here's Proverbs 10:16: "The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin." God's provision is great! But we need to be smart with what he provides, and along with that, we need to be grateful for his provision, and share what he provides.