“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15
This is something I have been struggling with for the longest. Once again, this post will look at things that may be uncomfortable for some to question. But Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36,
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household."
So, in the spirit of Christ, I will attempt to do the same thing; I will question the state of followers of Jesus in their present state, including myself.
In today’s present age, we see the prosperity gospel all around us. It makes sense that there would be this kind of theology. We live in America, and we all search for the American Dream. We all want the white picket fence, the big yard, the wrap-around porch, the savings, the investments, the family, and of course, the glory. It might not be glory in a historical sense, as in winning a battle for your country, but the glory of climbing the corporate ladder and gaining power.
But did Jesus intend for His followers to pursue the American Dream, the accumulation of generational wealth, the security of investments, the comfort of abundance? Or did He call us to a fundamentally different economic ethic?
It is a hard question to answer, and I don’t assume to know what Jesus wanted. I only know what He has told me through His words and what they mean to me.
So, what about wealth? Are we not allowed to be successful and gain riches? This is not my claim by any means. But I do believe that Jesus specifically told us what not to do, and I have to wonder if we are doing the exact things He forbade.
When I scroll on Facebook or read on X, I see various posts touting their newfound gains. I am happy to see people being successful, do not get me wrong, but I also ask myself: what are we striving towards? Are we striving towards riches, fame, and glory? Or are we striving to spread the Gospel by our words and our actions?
What does Jesus say about riches?
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:19-21
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." - Matthew 6:24
"Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Luke 12:33-34
"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:33
"Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” - Matthew 19:21
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation." - Luke 6:24
"So, when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” - Luke 18:22-25
Is Jesus saying not to have riches? I will leave that up to you, but I will give my two cents on it. I believe that Jesus is telling us to recognize what we strive for.
Do we strive after Him with all that we have and do? Or do we seek Jesus but also care to find wealth and riches on earth?
Let’s see what the disciples and other books of the Bible say about wealth.
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." - I Timothy 6:9-10
"Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed." - 1 Timothy 6:17-19
What does Paul mean when he says this to Timothy, “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed” I believe he is speaking of what Jesus said: “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
"Come now, you rich, cry, howling over your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted, and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up such treasure in the last days! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields—that which has been withheld by you—cries out against you; and the outcries of those who did the harvesting have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and lived in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous man; he does not resist you." - James 5:1-6
"Do not labor to be rich. Cease from your own understanding! Do you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle to the heavens." - Proverbs 23:4-5
The Bible continuously speaks out against hoarding wealth to increase our own riches. Here is the “Parable of the Rich Fool.”
"And someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”Then He said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you prepared?’ So is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” - Luke 12:13-21
God speaks to the fool, saying, what will that grain and goods be worth when you die? We might say now that his kids will be able to utilize it for their own gain and for their own comfort, but when does God ever say anything about accumulation? Rather, He speaks of provision and providing for your family.
Some may claim that Proverbs and other scriptures say to build up wealth alone, but rather, I believe that God also tells us to build up wisdom, righteousness, kindness, the love and fear of the Lord, and that is the wealth that is spoken of in the Scriptures.
- ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Proverbs 9:10)
- ‘Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death’ (Proverbs 11:4)
- ‘Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble’ (Proverbs 15:16)
The ‘wealth’ consistently praised throughout Proverbs is primarily spiritual and moral, not just financial.
'A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.' - Proverbs 13:22
This may seem counterintuitive to what I have said in this post, but I disagree. Rather than building a dynasty, so that your children will never work or toil the earth, build up treasures for them in how you teach them about Christ and how to protect their wealth God has given them. An inheritance doesn’t have to mean just money, but real wealth, the knowledge and the fear of God.
'He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.' - Proverbs 10:4-5
Context matters: When Proverbs was written, ‘wealth’ meant agricultural surplus and security, not billion-dollar fortunes. Diligent work resulting in modest prosperity is indeed blessed by God. But today’s extreme wealth concentration, where individuals amass hundreds of billions, represents something qualitatively different from biblical prosperity.
Be grateful for provision; be cautious about accumulation.
'Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.' - Proverbs 6:6-8
Be prudent in how you prepare! Not to hoard but to take advantage of the things God has blessed you with! Prepare! Do not hoard! When we hoard, we remove the need for God!
'As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.' - Ecclesiastes 5:19-20
The key phrase here is ‘God has given!’ This passage celebrates God’s gifts, both the resources AND the ability to enjoy them. Notice: the joy comes from recognizing God as the source. The danger isn’t wealth itself, but forgetting where it came from,
(Deuteronomy 8:17-18: ‘Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God…Otherwise, you may say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.”‘)
'But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.' - I Timothy 5:8
The key phrase here is provide! We must provide for our family, but providing for our family does not mean buying 5 cars, 3 houses, 2 boats, 12 flights a year, etc. But by providing food and guidance in protecting your family in this fallen world.
If God spoke of wealth in the way we today think of it, why did Jesus not toil the land and speculate for future investments? Why then did He not instead say, go invest all that you own so that you may leave it to the poor when you die? Why?
'“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’'
- Matthew 25:14-30
We often overlook the deeper level of this parable. The man traveling to a far country, the lord of those servants is Jesus Christ. When He ascended into heaven, He promised to give us His Spirit so we would not be alone. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit entered into the disciples and in us once we gave our lives to Christ. Those talents represent the opportunities, gifts, and Spirit-empowered abilities God entrusts to believers. While salvation itself is secure (Romans 8:38-39), our stewardship of what He’s given will be evaluated (2 Corinthians 5:10). While the talents Jesus gives us can be monetary gifts, as with money, we must increase our talents to further GOD’S KINGDOM, not our own. (This passage was also used in The War Between Flesh and Spirit).
Because our goals and desires that Jesus has for us in this life are not to toil away at things that a moth will decay and riches that rust and fade away. But rather to use all that we have in this life to further His kingdom.
Consider a modern parallel: imagine a successful business owner who redirects their enterprise toward Kingdom purposes, not abandoning their skills, but reorienting their ultimate objective. By providing good wages for his or her employees, providing benefits for them, being honest and kind, and showing grace when they know someone is going through hard times. Do not be like a slave master like barking orders and demanding unrealistic goals from those who work for you! Always remember the grace that our Father in heaven has given us, and the mercy He shows us!
This mirrors biblical examples like Zacchaeus, who kept half his wealth, gave half away, and made a fourfold restitution; Lydia, who kept her purple cloth business and then hosted the church; and Joseph of Arimathea, who was a rich man but a disciple.
So instead of focusing on building wealth, focus on building God’s kingdom, and all these things will be added unto you.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matthew 6:31-34
But what about us today?
An accurate description that Jesus HIMSELF makes about our church and us today is in Revelation.
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be manifested; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.: - Revelation 3:15-22
So what do I choose? With the career path that I want to set out on, this is a tough issue. I want to be a financial advisor to help people understand how they can be financially free, but I also want them not to put their faith in their belongings, in the number of cars or houses they have, the amount of zeros in their bank account, their number of stocks in their portfolio, the amount of gold/silver they hold, but rather who they are and how they can use that to further God’s kingdom.
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:15
Will I choose to focus on the stock market day in and day out and make that my worth? Will I make my worth be in how many houses I own, or cars, or investments? Will I make my worth in my job by moving up the corporate ladder? Will I make my worth be in the people I meet and the influence they hold?
Or will I put my worth in my God? Who came down to this fallen earth to save me from my sins? Who saved me from the rat race and gave me my worth, that same worth that He died for.
