When God created the world, He placed all kinds of blessings within our planet and its natural resources. He filled the earth with a variety of good things and riches and gave all of it to humanity as a gift.
The first people on earth were very wealthy. The whole world, in all its fullness and beauty, belonged to them. But possession of this treasure was conditional. It was entrusted to people for use in good purposes and for serving those around them.
The enemy of the soul led the first man into sin and thereby gained power over his mind and the minds of his descendants. Man became selfish. All the material blessings given by God for serving other people began to be appropriated as personal property.
In order to regulate and organize human life, the concept of material valuables was introduced, and later money came into use. At first, these consisted of precious metals such as gold, copper, and silver, as well as rare precious stones. All of these circulated among the nations.
Although wealth is neutral in itself, its value is determined by the degree to which those who consider it wealth desire it. Money has value when it is backed by purchasing power and accepted in circulation by the government and society as payment for services. It is then legal tender within the territory designated by governments.
In our day, society has arrived at the concept of electronic money, and we accept it as payment for services and goods without considering what it actually is.
In the past, wealth was measured by the possession of gold, goods, land, and other visible valuables that could be exchanged for something of equal worth. Today, it is measured by the numbers in a bank account. These numbers make it possible to buy land, gold, various goods, and services.
Who is a wealthy person? It would be better to ask whom we consider wealthy. Everything is relative. If you possess more of something than I do, then you are wealthy in my eyes. At the same time, both of us are poor in the eyes of those who have more than we do.
I would define wealth not so much by the possession of money or material goods as by a person’s ability to acquire, accumulate, preserve, and use them wisely.
I know people who earn a great deal and live in luxury, yet are deeply in debt. I also know those who, despite a small income, manage to accumulate capital and be content with little. Which of them is wealthy?
In the Bible, wealth is presented as a special blessing from God, and the ability to acquire it as evidence of wisdom from God. But a person’s ability to manage the resources entrusted to him also plays a major role. It is good when you can earn money, but the interesting question is what you will do with it.
The enemy of the soul offers his goods, temptations, and services, while God reveals His plans and opportunities.
To save money means to set aside part of one’s income in expectation of reaching a particular goal. For example, savings can be very useful in a time of crisis. There are other purposes as well. But money can also be set aside simply so that it will be there and there will be a great deal of it. Modern money, however, is not gold, which is always valuable. It consists of conventional symbols and numbers that may suddenly disappear or lose their value. Therefore, people look for opportunities to invest their money in something worthwhile simply to preserve it and protect it from inflation and devaluation.
I remember people who sold a house in the 1990s and deposited the proceeds in a savings account, only to buy a single stick of sausage with that money a couple of years later. I also remember those who bought foreign currency and became owners of substantial capital a few years later. In general, the question of how to preserve wealth has been relevant in every age.
But this subject has been raised now so that we may understand an important thought: it is not wealth itself that is evil and a curse, but my attitude toward it.
We live in a world whose motto is, “Time is money.” This is true of the lives of many people. When you are paid by the hour, you begin to value time by the minute and understand how best to invest it. Some things are unpaid: your sleep, your morning reflections upon God and your prayers, your meals, your leisure, your private life, and your fellowship with people and friends. No one pays you for rest or self-education. But all of these things can be sacrificed in order to become wealthier. Money is the goal, and it must be attained. This is like chasing a rainbow. You see it and estimate the distance approximately, but as you draw near, you cannot take possession of it. The rainbow remains just as distant and enticingly beautiful.
Some good works require continual material support and financing. When I perform them, I lose my savings and see no possibility of getting them back. Yet I experience tremendous satisfaction from having done something meaningful by helping or supporting someone. Sometimes, in order to do this, I must borrow from a bank with the expectation of repaying the money from my next income. But what joy and happiness come from knowing that someone’s burden has become lighter and that someone’s work is moving forward!
Heavenly wealth is something especially beautiful. It proceeds from my heart and is gathered in Heaven. I think that the wealthiest woman in Heaven will be the poor widow whose name and age are unknown to us. But she opened a special heavenly account into which enormous sums have been deposited throughout the ages by poor and wealthy people alike. To this day, the example of her self-sacrifice stirs people’s hearts, opens their pockets, and inspires them to support God’s work in all its forms.
Love teaches us how to relate properly to wealth and how to earn it honestly, rendering unto God the things that are God’s and unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. It prompts us to set aside what is necessary and to give even what does not exist, to invest with discernment, and to give as inspired. Love hears the voice of the Holy Spirit, Who reveals new opportunities to earn money and shows where it is best invested and how it should be spent.
God knows what we need to pay, to whom, and how much, in order to survive and to take part in something. He does not welcome the spirit of covetousness, and the spirit of empty extravagance is also foreign to Him.
Money is our life, which we give in order to acquire it. It represents our strength and intellect, which we expend in earning it, and it should not be treated lightly. Yet we must not serve it either, regarding the pursuit and acquisition of money as the meaning of life.
True wealth is what I will be able to take with me to Heaven, what will remain mine when I die. Everything else may be regarded as temporary and unrighteous, having value only in this world. What will gold be on the New Earth? Paving stones. What will happen to my houses and cars at Christ’s Coming? They will burn. All these things are necessary now for the convenience of life, but they will not bring salvation to the soul.
True wealth is love, happiness, and friendship from God. Such valuables are in demand here and now, and throughout all Eternity they will remain significant and will be accepted among holy beings as payment for services and goods that are vital to life.
God blesses His children with wisdom to acquire wealth in this world and for Eternal life. Everything is given by Him for good, and He keeps an account of it all. Each of us will have to give an account of what we received, what we could have received, how we spent it, and how we could have spent it.
Homework 66
Please read Psalm 62:10; Proverbs 11:16; Proverbs 12:8, 11; 1 Kings 4:21–24, 29–30; 1 Kings 9:10–11; 1 Chronicles 22:1–4; Job 1:1–3; Job 31:16–22; John 19:39; Hebrews 11:26; Proverbs 8:17–19; Proverbs 23:4–5; and Ecclesiastes 6:2, and consider these verses in the light of our lesson. What revelations did you receive while studying this subject? How can wealth become a blessing? For what purpose did God create the poor and the wealthy? Recall who helped Christ’s disciples advance the work of God during the establishment of the Church. What should I do so that wealth does not become a curse to me? Is it permissible for a loving person to be materially wealthy? How should we relate to those who are wealthy but do not have love? How can a person become rich while believing in God? See 1 Timothy 6:9–11.