Do I Have to be Poor to be Saved?

Happy Sunday! Last week I announced that my wife Jeanne is now retired. If you are young and watching this I want you to know that time flies and you had better be prepared. If you are retired and watching this, you know how swiftly this season of life arrives.

We have saved for this moment. Financially we have been responsible. Today as we look at Proverbs 15:16 we look at the question - Is Money Bad? Can you be a saver and also be saved?

What does Proverbs 15:16 say? “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.” Let me do it again: “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.” The question that comes to mind - are these mutually exclusive?

Is it either or? Do you have to choose between fear of the Lord and wealth? Many say that MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. That is not what the Bible says.

1st Timothy 6:10 says this - “The love of money is the root of all evil.” There is a big difference here. Money is not evil - money is amoral - It can be used to fund a drug cartel or to build an orphanage. The issue is THE LOVE OF MONEY.

When money is loved more than God, there is a problem. “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.” One day Jesus met a young rich man and they had this encounter found in Mark chapter 10 - “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?”

Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery.

You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and your mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. And Jesus said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

The story tell us, at this, what Jesus said, the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” In this story - also found in Matthew and Luke by the way - In this story Jesus was not condemning wealth nor was he condoning poverty. What Jesus was doing was exposing this young man’s heart. This young man was too invested in his investments.

I have known people like this. To some money is there first love. They have no time for God or family or for giving; they just want more. Some people just can’t handle wealth.

They have little discipline and they are easily sidetracked. A young friend who's wealthy - who happens to be a fine Christian told me of a young friend of his that made a large amount of money at a very young age. He said that boy spent his money on bad habits reckless living. He went on to say that great wealth and youth are a dangerous combination.

That can be true. Without a strong spiritual foundation, money can be dangerous. I also know people who are very wealthy and they love Jesus. They are generous and change the world with their giving.

It is all about the heart. Back to Proverbs 15:16 - “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.” You know that these words were written by Solomon. Solomon was arguably the richest man who ever walked this earth.

He loved God - he also failed to guard his heart and his life was sidetracked because he did not fear the Lord and obey his commandments. Fear of the Lord is key here. For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God. For the believer fear of the Lord means having a reverence for Him that impacts the very way that we live.

The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, desiring to please Him, and loving Him with all that we have. “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.” I would add Even better is the Fear of the Lord and great treasure that can be used for His Glory.