“Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death.”
Proverbs 11:4
Wow what a loaded verse! Is God opposed to wealth, desiring to keep us poor? Of course not! Throughout history, God has worked through wealthy people to bless others!
For example, the freed Israelite slaves left Eygpt with significant wealth-“The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!” (Exodus 12:36) This wealth, probably jewelry and livestock, funded the building of the wilderness tabernacle, their portatable temple or worship center, which contained approximently 17,281pounds of gold and silver, valued at approximenyly $39,127,951 in US dollars! (This tent was so heavy that it took an entire tribe to transport it!)
God’s desire has always been to bless His people so that they could bless those who were poor. GOD DESIRES FOR US TO OWN WEALTH, NOT FOR WEALTH TO OWN US!
Remember what Jesus told the rich young ruler-“go and sell all you possess and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21). God wants us to use our wealth in worship to Him by blessing others, not worship His blessings and spend it on ourselves! Jesus was very clear-your alliegence can’t be mixed-“YOU CAN’T SERVE BOTH GOD AND
MONEY!” (Matt. 6:24)
So in that same line of thought, Solomon, the wisest and one of the WEALTHIEST men of all time (contemporary net worth valued @ 3.3 TRILLION $$$!), told his son, “riches won’t help on the day of judgement”, right living will!
The Bible often speaks of a coming Day of judgement. A day when each person who has ever lived will account for his/her life here on earth and will be eternally rewarded or punished for their deeds while alive. (Matt 12:36, Rev 20:11-15) Wealth, nor intellegence, good works, standing in the community will help us before God because the ONLY way we can come into good standing with God is through Jesus Christ, Who was ALREADY punished for our failures on the cross and Who’s perfection substitues for our own imperfections! He’s the only One Who can help us that day! The only way to attain the “right living” that Solomon spoke of is to either BE PERFECT or to VEIWED, BY GOD AS PERFECT. This can happen because we have a RELATIONSHIP with God THROUGH JESUS, WHO IS PERFECT and Who is our SUBSTITUTE before God!
So, do you know Jesus? Simply ask Him to forgive you of your sins and failures, believing that He died as punishment for your sins and rose to give you His life, and give yourself to Him!
Jesus is the ONLY thing that will help us on judgement!
Think about it!
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