What does God think of rich people? I know what a lot of people say about rich people. You’ve probably heard phrases like, “Filthy rich”, “Stinking rich”, “Lousy rich people”, etc.
It seems that there is an underlying belief that to be rich is wrong and yet most people wouldn’t mind at all if their bank account balance had an extra zero or two or three at the end of it!
There are a lot of people who assume that those who are rich got their wealth dishonestly, or, never had to work for it. Some see the rich as snobs who look down on the rest of the world. How rare it is to find someone who is actually glad that someone else has tremendous wealth! Most think that rich people don’t deserve to be rich and that it is wrong be rich. It’s just not fair for them to have all that money! There are some religious people who actually think that being rich is not right in the sight of God.
But what does the Bible say? It does not say that money is the root of all evil; it says that the love of money is the root of all evil. You can have a dollar and love it, and you can have a million dollars and not love a dime of it.
There are a number of great people mentioned in the Bible who were rich, very rich. Job was the greatest man in the East. He lost everything and God restored double back to him! God did that for Job – gave him double!
Abraham in the Bible is called the friend of God and the father of all them that believe and he was very rich in cattle, silver and gold. How about David? Solomon? The list goes on and on.
When Jesus died, it was Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, who took care of the burial. He had the means to do what he did.
Now I know that there are some who would argue that those mentioned above were special people with special reasons as to why they had riches and that they were just the exception. But if that is true why is there promise after promise of prosperity in the Bible? And please don’t fall for that fatalistic idea that some are “just meant to prosper and others are not.” Again, if that were true why are there so many promises of prosperity all over the Bible? There is nothing in the Scriptures to even remotely suggest that God would have some to be rich, some to be poor, and the rest to be in the middle.
Not too long ago, “The Prayer of Jabez” was very popular. All the items that were associated with it were basically from I Chronicles 4:10. If you read that verse you’ll find that Jabez simply asked God to bless him, to enlarge his coast, to be with him, and, keep him from evil. And God granted him what he requested! God didn’t say what most people would have said, “Oh Jabez, you are getting greedy, just be satisfied with what you have!” No. God gave him what he requested!
Now I know that there are a lot of Scriptures related to this topic to consider, and that a few might at first glance appear to be in opposition to prosperity and wealth. But those few cannot be magnified above the numerous obvious verses that show God’s desire for His people to be successful and prosper. There is a verse that plainly states that God wishes above all things that we prosper and be in health!
Prosperity and wealth can be obtained honestly or dishonesty – ethically or unethically. But far too many are so quick to judge when they see someone with prosperity and wealth. It is really sad because there are a lot of wonderful successful Christians who are being unfairly judged and condemned because of the blessings they have received from God. They work hard, apply principles, expect God’s blessings, and receive abundantly. Prosperity is a blessing from God available to all.
So what does God think of rich people? Is God displeased with the wealthy? Does He want everyone to be poor? God desires above all things for all His children, to prosper and to be in health.
Michael A. Verdicchio is the author and producer of “Inspirational Pep Talks”, available at www.inspirationalpeptalks.com. He has produced other motivation and inspirational items, including the audio CD, “Healing Words”, available at www.christianinspirationalgifts.com.
He is also the author of the book, “Healing from God is Available”. Michael is a husband, father, minister, and broadcaster. He has been the voice on numerous productions over the years. He is the voice for the current series, “Stories for Joshua.”
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