”And besides all
this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who
want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there
to us”
(Luke 16:26).
Worldly wealth and resources for living are a gift
from God, to be sure. They are given to us:
-For our existence…to sustain our life here on
earth (Acts 14:17).
-For our enjoyment (1Timothy 6:17).
-For sharing them with those in need (1Timothy 6:18,
19).
The Law and the Prophets were instructing (and calling)
God’s people to use wealth wisely (Luke 16:16).
In God’s economy, using wealth wisely, in its
essence, is a case of “meaningful investing”:
-it keeps one’s soul in a healthy state: luxury is
no friend to the soul;
-it keeps the “heavenly account” properly balanced (Matthew
6:20);
-it keeps the community safe: the needs of people
are being met.
The parable of the Rich man and Lazarus offers an
example of what can happen as a result of unwise use of worldly wealth (Luke
16:19-31).
The rich man, living a life of luxury and
opulence…the life of his dreams.
His wealth took hold of him to the extent that his
personality has been degraded…in other words it brought out the worst of him.
He totally disregarded the Law and the Prophets;
became insensitive to the needs of his neighbor and ended up living an
extravagant way of life: purple clothes, fine linen, and abundant food.
In the parable the poor man ends up at Abraham
bosom…not because he was poor…but because there was something that opened
the way to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man ends down at Satan’s bosom…not
because he was rich…but because there was nothing that opened the way to
Abraham’s bosom.
The way we handle worldly wealth can have eternal
consequences. Be wise!
Pastor Alois