#DailyDevotion Is Your God Actually Worldly Wealth?
Mark 10:21-23
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “You lack one thing,” Jesus told him. “Go, sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, and you’ll have a treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me.” 22When he heard that, he looked gloomy and went away sad, because he was very rich. 23Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for rich people to get into God’s kingdom!”
So in yesterday’s devotion we looked at how Jesus listed out the second table of the 10 commandments that deal with our neighbor as a means inheriting eternal life. I think he held off to demonstrate to the young man and to us who claim to worship the one true Living God that perhaps we don’t, at least not always or rather, like the pagans, we tend to be polytheists, people who worship more than one God.
Jesus can see the sincerity of the young man in him thinking he has kept the commandments. Looking at him, he loved him. He could look into the man’s heart and know what his ultimate problem was. He wanted to save him. Jesus exposed the sin that weighed so heavy on his heart and kept him out of the kingdom of God. He tells the man, “Go, sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, and you’ll have a treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me.” The man you see worshiped worldly wealth. It says he was very rich. He trusted in his wealth more than he trusted in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
How many of us would do the same if Jesus asked us to sell everything we had, give it to the poor and follow him? More likely than not, we hold mammon (worldly wealth) in our pantheon of gods that we fear, love and trust more than all things. If you think money can solve all or most of your problems, it is your god. If you sacrifice family, friends, and worship to make money, it’s most likely your god. While Jesus does not tell us to sell everything we have and follow him, he does call us to make it available, at all times for his purposes. We should live in contempt of worldly wealth. It is somewhat necessary for daily life but we should not think highly of it nor chase after it.
Jesus said, “How hard it is for rich people to get into God’s kingdom!” I think this is true for several reason not withstanding certain communist tag lines. One, people who get rich sacrifice a lot to get there, including family, friends and attending worship. Secondly, unfortunately, sometimes they have to engage in somewhat unethical and therefore immoral behavior to get and maintain their wealth. Thirdly, they tend to trust in the almighty dollar more than they trust in God. As Paul notes in 1 Tim. 6, “10Love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and some people, eager to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with much pain.” Well just because you are not in the top 20% of the wealth holders in the world doesn’t make you immune from the love of money either. You can think money can solve all your problems today and serve it just as much as a rich man. Next to the worship of the goddess Happiness, the worship of Mammon (wealth) is one of most worshiped gods of all people including those who claim to be Christians. Treat wealth with contempt. Put your trust in Christ Jesus your Lord who promises never to leave you or forsake you. (Heb. 13) Then God’s kingdom is yours.
Heavenly Father, grant us contempt of wealth and heart that trust in you solely for all good things. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.