"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." Col 3:1-2
It is given to us to live on this planet. God created it for us and formed us on it. He gave us all things pertaining to life and we at one time were in want for nothing. Almost immediately, however, we began to be dissatisfied with what we were given. All the provision we were given began to pale in regard to the one thing that was prohibited. This was not only the introduction of sin, but of a particular kind of sin: greed.
Beloved what is greed but a desire to have exceedingly more than is needed? The accumulation of wealth is not in and of itself a sin, but the prioritization of it over all things, including God is certainly today's form of idolatry. Abraham was an example of a wealthy man who gave a 10th of his spoils to Melchizedek (the high priest of God), as well as allowing his nephew Lot the choice of land when it became time for them to separate. The opposite of this is the famous story of the rich young ruler, who rather than giving up his possessions in an effort to gain heaven, he kept them and left heaven behind.
The message here is not whether we are wealthy or not (which I assure you is relative considered on a global scale) but how we prioritize life. God has been generous in seeing to all of our needs and many of our wants. Let us not become distracted by them and make those blessings the object of our affection. Let us instead remember that opulence beyond measure awaits us in His heavenly presence. Rather than accumulating on earth, believers must focus on storing up riches in heaven where no loss can occur. The comparison between the earthly and the heavenly defies description.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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