God's View of Success
God's View of Success
By Pastor Alexander Redd
info@gracioushopefellowship.com
July 14, 2021
Then he said unto them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." (Luke 12:15).
Growing up as a teenager in Liberia, West Africa, I thought material wealth was a sign of success. Still, my dad quickly reminded me that life wasn't all about that but about learning contentment in knowing the character of Christ Jesus. I didn't believe him back then, but as I matured through the crucibles of life, he was right.
Today, many of us define success as an accumulation of material possession. Some people don't see deception in this way of reasoning, and they compromise their integrity, risk their families, and fall into all kinds of evil.
The truth is that material wealth does not define success. In Luke 12:15-21, Jesus tells a parable about a rich man who had an abundant harvest and decided to tear down his barns to build bigger ones to store his wealth. The rich man then said to himself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry." However, that night, God said to the rich man, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"
The parable teaches us the danger of placing too much emphasis on material wealth. Jesus is warning us that life is not about accumulating possessions but rather about being rich toward God. The rich man in the parable was focused solely on his comfort and pleasure, without regard for others or God. He was not rich toward God, and he ultimately lost everything.
Jesus reminds us that the abundance of our possessions does not measure our lives. Instead, we should focus on building our relationship with God and serving others. We should be generous with what we have been given, using our resources to help those in need and to further the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, our true wealth comes from our relationship with God, not material possessions.
God tells us what the great value of life is. If we are honest, we will uncover God's view of us and how he evaluates our attitudes toward how we get money, talk about it, and carelessly desire to have enough of it.
True success is in godliness and contentment, not the insatiable pursuit of material wealth (I Timothy 6:6-10). Material possessions are temporary and fleeting; we cannot take them with us when we leave this world. Instead, we should focus on building meaningful relationships, impacting others positively, and leaving a lasting legacy that reflects our faith and values.
We should strive to live a life that honors God and seeks to serve others rather than solely focusing on accumulating wealth for ourselves.
It's essential to remember that pursuing wealth can lead us down a dangerous path and cause us to compromise our integrity and moral values. We should be content with what we have and avoid the temptation to put our trust in material possessions. True success comes from living a life pleasing to God and fulfilling our purpose in this world.
Money is a medium of exchange given by God to meet our basic needs and help those in need. Why do some of us worship wealth? Why not honor and worship the sovereign Lord who graciously provides life and everything else? (John 1:3). Many of us lament life when we don't have enough money. Sad. God's view is the right way to understand wealth instead of getting into a pity party mood when we don't have enough of it.
Jesus warns us about where our loyalty must be and not having an impetuous mindset toward riches (Matthew 6:24). If we focus on becoming wealthy, three things will happen to us. We'll deprive ourselves of the richness of God's Word in our lives, strain our fellowship with him, and enslave ourselves to material possessions.
The reality is that we all tend to fall into the temptation of desiring to pursue wealth. Still, when we believe in the godly attitude toward money and success, we will keep praying to the Lord to guide us with his perfect wisdom against the desires and wiles that come with the appetite to get rich.
By Pastor Alexander Redd
info@gracioushopefellowship.com
July 14, 2021
Then he said unto them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." (Luke 12:15).
Growing up as a teenager in Liberia, West Africa, I thought material wealth was a sign of success. Still, my dad quickly reminded me that life wasn't all about that but about learning contentment in knowing the character of Christ Jesus. I didn't believe him back then, but as I matured through the crucibles of life, he was right.
Today, many of us define success as an accumulation of material possession. Some people don't see deception in this way of reasoning, and they compromise their integrity, risk their families, and fall into all kinds of evil.
The truth is that material wealth does not define success. In Luke 12:15-21, Jesus tells a parable about a rich man who had an abundant harvest and decided to tear down his barns to build bigger ones to store his wealth. The rich man then said to himself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry." However, that night, God said to the rich man, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"
The parable teaches us the danger of placing too much emphasis on material wealth. Jesus is warning us that life is not about accumulating possessions but rather about being rich toward God. The rich man in the parable was focused solely on his comfort and pleasure, without regard for others or God. He was not rich toward God, and he ultimately lost everything.
Jesus reminds us that the abundance of our possessions does not measure our lives. Instead, we should focus on building our relationship with God and serving others. We should be generous with what we have been given, using our resources to help those in need and to further the Kingdom of God. Ultimately, our true wealth comes from our relationship with God, not material possessions.
God tells us what the great value of life is. If we are honest, we will uncover God's view of us and how he evaluates our attitudes toward how we get money, talk about it, and carelessly desire to have enough of it.
True success is in godliness and contentment, not the insatiable pursuit of material wealth (I Timothy 6:6-10). Material possessions are temporary and fleeting; we cannot take them with us when we leave this world. Instead, we should focus on building meaningful relationships, impacting others positively, and leaving a lasting legacy that reflects our faith and values.
We should strive to live a life that honors God and seeks to serve others rather than solely focusing on accumulating wealth for ourselves.
It's essential to remember that pursuing wealth can lead us down a dangerous path and cause us to compromise our integrity and moral values. We should be content with what we have and avoid the temptation to put our trust in material possessions. True success comes from living a life pleasing to God and fulfilling our purpose in this world.
Money is a medium of exchange given by God to meet our basic needs and help those in need. Why do some of us worship wealth? Why not honor and worship the sovereign Lord who graciously provides life and everything else? (John 1:3). Many of us lament life when we don't have enough money. Sad. God's view is the right way to understand wealth instead of getting into a pity party mood when we don't have enough of it.
Jesus warns us about where our loyalty must be and not having an impetuous mindset toward riches (Matthew 6:24). If we focus on becoming wealthy, three things will happen to us. We'll deprive ourselves of the richness of God's Word in our lives, strain our fellowship with him, and enslave ourselves to material possessions.
The reality is that we all tend to fall into the temptation of desiring to pursue wealth. Still, when we believe in the godly attitude toward money and success, we will keep praying to the Lord to guide us with his perfect wisdom against the desires and wiles that come with the appetite to get rich.
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