Without a doubt, one of the great aspects of our society today is found in its great riches. Perhaps no other society in this world’s history has known the riches and prosperity as these United States have known, and accordingly, this rich land has passed on its riches to us its citizens. We are rich even beyond what most people throughout this world can possibly attain. Who of us in this country or even reading this publication within the boundaries of this country can say we are destitute and hungry? Certainly there are obviously exceptions, for even in this land there are some who lack the basic necessities of food and clothing, but they are an extreme minority. Yes, there seems to be a class of people, who for reason of their own laziness or other factors within their control, are not willing to work for their needs. But the overwhelming majority of us, including myself, having plenty of food and clothing and much, much more, must consider ourselves as rich. Yes, abundantly so.

Does this mean we have no needs? Surely not, though sometimes our needs are merely truly desires we think we must have to survive such as TVs, microwave ovens, fine clothing, recreational objects, etc. none of which are in any way necessary to our survival. As a type of proof of this concept consider how many of us have the aforementioned food and clothing in addition to each of the items listed at the first of this paragraph and more?

With this in mind, where do we go from here? Is it a sin to be rich? No, for we have many examples of the faithful of God’s people throughout the Bible and otherwise who are rich but have striven and continue to strive to please their Creator. These are examples of men and women of faith who have endeavored to use the riches God has given them for His glory and His good will. The Lord has often used the faith and riches of His people to help further His desires.

Among these examples includes the example of Abraham to give a portion of His spoils to the King Melchizedek, Israel of their riches to give toward the making of His Tabernacle and later Temple, Joseph of Arimathea as he offered a tomb for our Lord, Barnabas as he sold his land and gave it to the apostles for their distribution, and the godly example of Gaius as he provided for brethren involved in the work of the Lord. Surely most of us know of brethren today who give of their means at whatever opportunities presented to them. These saints are known of God and cherished for their works of love and sacrifice among us. For their faith His name be praised.

My question remains, “Where do we go from here?” I believe an important step is to admit our riches. It seems to be a common response among us to deny that we are truly rich. Perhaps our denial is based on the definition as soothing, for many think rich is defined as one who has more than they do.

There is also an underlying idea that seems to desire to use “perceived” poverty as a type of “godly characteristic” that gives us an advantage over those that seem to have more than we. Perhaps this last motivation comes from the truth and conviction of the words of Jesus as titled for this article. After all, if I truly am not “rich” then my responsibilities to use what the Lord has entrusted into my care are not as great as it is for others. The interesting (and scary) part of this admission is the fact that God will not judge me poor just because I claim to be, for He indeed will judge me in truth as I truly am and not according to what “perceived misconceptions” I may have about my own well-being.

How many of us cannot consider ourselves as rich when compared to the situation of our brethren in the Philippines? Or elsewhere for that matter? When considering that we have more than sufficient food and clothing with riches far in addition to these most basic needs, how can we not be considered rich? Okay, you say, what’s your point? I am not writing these words attempting to get you to give more to the work and to those far less prosperous. I am not sure that would be appropriate in any event. As a matter of fact, I personally have been and continue to be very much encouraged by the love of the brethren regarding your zeal and support of evangelism and your sometimes overwhelming desire to help those in the Philippines and elsewhere who have much, much less than we do. I personally have been humbled for my unfounded past concerns that brethren might not respond in the kind and loving manner they have to the problems in the Philippines and elsewhere. I know that I and my family have benefited tremendously by the faith of many brethren in this manner. I thank them and God for these blessings as one who depends upon the faith and good grace of faithful brethren, and this fact encourages me to be willing to help others likewise.

The purpose of my words is to help us think on God’s blessings toward us and accept that we indeed are rich. We will be judged according to how we used or abused our riches. This admonition should make us consider the next time we are tempted to complain about what we “do not have”, and instead be more content with what we do have. We indeed are rich, and only by using our riches as proper stewards can we achieve that difficult but possible goal of entering the kingdom of God as the warning the title of this article implies.