What does the Bible say of the rich? James 1:10-11 tells us, “And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.” Does this mean that every rich person is doomed to fade away with all of their achievements? Do not miss what James says the rich should do. They should boast of how the Lord has humbled them. The difference between those who use their riches to please themselves and the rich who use their riches to glorify God is humility. Those who glorify God and live their lives for Him will see God do amazing things in them and through them.
Remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31? The rich man lived in luxury everyday and paid no attention to Lazarus, the sick and poor man who sat at his gate everyday hoping to get scraps from the poor man’s table. When they both died, Lazarus went to live in heaven and the rich man saw no relief in the “place of the dead.” Even in hell, he still paid no respect to Lazarus and asked that he would come and bring him relief. He saw Lazarus as nothing but someone poor and more lowly than himself. His riches clouded his view of who he was and who Lazarus was.
Riches are not bad when used to glorify the Lord. There are so many ways to help in this world, whether it is sponsoring a child, giving to missions, or supporting the local church! We must never lose the attitude that we are all a people in need of a Savior!