“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! (James 5:1-3).

Net Worth: $47 billion

Fortune: Self Made

Source: Berkshire Hathaway

Age: 79

Citizenship: United States

Residence: Omaha, Nebraska

Education: Columbia U, Master of Science; U of Nebraska Lincoln, Bachelor of Arts / Science

Marital Status: Widowed, 3 children

Warren Buffett recently was in the news relating to his conglomerate holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, bid of $34 billion to buy out Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp – his biggest-ever acquisition. In 2008, Buffett was ranked by Forbes as the richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of approximately $62 billion. In 2009, Buffett was ranked as the second richest man in the United States, with a net worth of $40 billion dollars. [1]

God blessed some of His servants with an ample amount of wealth for a specific purpose. Some of them sat on the governing throne as kings of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, David, Solomon etc. Nonetheless, the question is asked: Is wealth the sign that defines a true Christian? Does scripture ever define a disciple of God by his or her acquired or received riches?

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Most promoters of the ‘Prosperity Gospel’ have made use of several texts in order to support a personal desire that may justify both their faithfulness to the Creator and their earned right to be a self-centered rich person. I will not take the time to expose an in depth analysis of each text; I will, however, elaborate upon the teachings of the ‘Word made flesh’ which are more than sufficient in clarifying the role of the riches of the world as it relates to the Everlasting Kingdom. Here are some of the most popular texts of prosperity:

1. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers --3 John 1:2

2. "I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. ³ "And keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn … I Kings 2:2, 3

3. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. --I Chronicles 22:13

4. If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. --Job 36:11

How does Jesus define those who are great?

1. Matthew 5:17-19 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

2. Matthew 18:1-4 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" ² He called a little child and had him stand among them. ³ And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

3. Matthew 20:26-28 “… whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

No where is money associated with being great in the Kingdom of Heaven. A missionary, a devoted messenger of the Good News, a disciple of Jesus-Christ crucified has no time to handle wealth. Our priority is to teach, preach, heal and share our goods. The Great Commission cannot be fulfilled by anyone who is bounded by his wealth. We must keep in mind the selflessness that moved the hearts of the first members of the first century church. Each and every one of them sold “their goods…” for the benefit of others. Can a Christian be wealthy? But of course! For how long? Not too long. Why? Because wealth that comes from God demands distribution. Should a sheep who knows the voice of the True Shepherd seek wealth? Absolutely NOT. “The Lord is my Shepherd I shall have no need” (Psalm 23:1). Self-centered wealth is of the enemy.

As owners of very little, we are struggling to keep our eyes on the Lord. Why then would we like to pursue more possessions of the world which would further divert our attention away from Christ? If we inherit wealth as did Abraham, Job, David, Solomon etc., are we in fact the owner of these goods? Or, are we the stewards of them? Let’s not forget that not even our body belongs to us:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Throughout earth history, no one ever possessed more wealth than Solomon in his time.

“King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth” (I Kings 10:23).

What happened at the end? His wisdom which surpassed that of all other sinners made him realize that all of it was simply ‘VANITY.’ What sense does it make for a Christian to die rich?

As missionaries, we will be dragging our possessions to all cities and towns (Matthew 28:19-20) in order to evangelize the world (LOL). Jesus rid Himself of all in order to die for all:

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:5-7).

Let’s shift our attention to two other popular verses that mirror each other.

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor” (1 Samuel 2:8).

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; ⁸ he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people” (Psalm 113:7-8).

The word “princes” [great] in Psalm 113:8 and 1 Samuel 2:8 have the following meanings in Hebrew: Willing spirit, generous, noble. This meaning is well defined by the Messiah in Matthew 5:19à “ Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

According to this passage, the word “great” find its meaning as the one who receives the title by submitting himself to the Law of His God. Greatness, within the kingdom of the Lord is never, never, and I repeat, never associated with the riches of the world. This truth is further reinforced in the book of Job.

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters, ³ and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants.(1) He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. ⁴ His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, "Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." This was Job's regular custom. ⁶ One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." ⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? (2)There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:1-8).

Allow the Holy Spirit to touch your heart in order to fully comprehend what is going in the text. I had to insert these many verses for the purpose of differentiating the manner with which God sees Job in contrast to how the human eyes see him. Let us compare the underlined sentences. There is a sharp distinction between the qualifying methods of man and that of the Creator. Job’s distinct traits (blameless, upright, fears God, hates evil) were common between the author and God but where he was known and what he was known for differed greatly. The author views Job as the greatest man of the East because of his wealth (earthly possessions) while God places Job as the greatest man on “earth” because of his incomparable integrity and faithfulness to His Lord. What a difference in qualification? God qualifies Job in this manner based on his distinct sanctified character and not on how rich he is. What a difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeremiah makes a stunning declaration as he decides to whom he will prophesy the Word of God. He begins by rejecting those living in rebellion by labeling them ‘poor’ in order to define how corrupted and unsanctified their hearts are. Pay attention to the train of thoughts of God’s prophet:

“O LORD, do your eyes not look for honesty? You struck them, but they did not cringe; you laid them low, but they refused correction; They set their faces harder than stone, and refused to return to you. ⁴ It is only the lowly, I thought, who are foolish; For they know not the way of the LORD, their duty to their God. ⁵ I will go to the great ones and speak with them;For they know the way of the LORD, their duty to their God. But, one and all, they had broken the yoke, torn off the harness” (Jeremiah 5:3-5).

[1] https://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_Warren-Buffett_C0R3.html

Whether you are eating, drinking, singing, preaching, whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God. Live today as if it was the last day you will live for and in Christ.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY AND FOLLOW CHRIST!