Truly Rich

^“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?”    —Luke 16:11

A recent college graduate said to his mother, “I’m not moving out, ever. I’ll live here until you and dad move to a retirement home. I’ve got it made here. My clothes are washed, lunches prepared, and utility bills are paid. You can’t beat that.”

What would it take for you to be able to say, “I’ve got it made.”? Would you have to win the lottery? I still haven’t heard who won the $590.5 million Powerball jackpot. I know it wasn’t me because, as the PA Lottery slogan goes, “You have to play to win.” I personally believe the entire lottery system is a way of taxing the poor. Statistics show that as the economy slows down, lottery sales go up. According to Dave Ramsey, millionaires don’t play the lottery. By my own calculations, if a person would put $20 down and invest $20 per week (the amount one might spend on the lottery each week) at six percent interest for twenty years, they would have nearly $40,000. Some folks play the Powerball lottery their entire lives with nothing to show for it.

I have never played the lottery. Once, I did receive a scratch off ticket as a gift and was an instant winner of another scratch off ticket. I don’t need to play, because I already have it made. As a born again believer, I am the child of the King of Kings. My heavenly Father owns the cattle on every hill and wealth of all the gems and minerals of the universe. Just as God feeds the sparrows and clothes the wild flowers, He promises to take care of me. Yes, I have it made.

Many people live their lives on the false hopes of “if-only.” If only I could win the lottery, I could really be happy. If only I had a better job, then I would buy this or give that. If only my spouse or children acted differently, I’d be a better person. God has already given us everything we need for living an abundant, godly life. We have it made. “Godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment” (1 Timothy 6:6). It is time to start living faithful and faith-filled lives today.

In addition to promoting godliness, contentment is the foundation for faithful stewardship. A steward is someone who manages the possessions of another. Everything we have on earth has been entrusted to us by God. The things of this world are not our personal possessions; they are God’s and have been given to us to manage. Faithful stewards must learn to be content with whatever their master has entrusted into their hands. As we use God’s resources wisely for our own needs and the needs of those around us, God entrusts us with more. This more goes way beyond mere money ^“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you” (Luke 16:11)?

The true riches of the kingdom are authority and opportunities to teach, witness, heal, and serve. How have you managed the riches God has already placed in your hands? You already have it made. Are you living like it? God loves you and has forgiven your sins. God promises to be with you until the end of the age and provide for all your needs. If you can be content with God’s love and God’s provision, you are truly rich.