Many have assumed that Christ wants Christians to be poor and not to prosper and be rich, but what do we see in the scriptures?
No one had the wealth that Solomon had, “I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me” (Ecclesiastes 2:7).
And God told the Israelites that He was the One Who gave them power to get wealth.
"And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
Job was a very wealthy man, Job 1:3 “Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.” He knew Who gave Him that wealth! He knew he couldn’t take credit for his wealth, if he did, he would be denying God (Job 31:25).
Then how does one explain Matthew 19 and Mark 10? A young man had come to Christ and asked Him how he could inherit eternal life. Remember that in order to inherit something, you have to be connected in some way such as kinfolk or if it is ‘willed’ to you. Jesus explained to the young man all that he needed to do in order for him to inherit eternal life (in other words to become a child of God so that he could inherit eternal life) He told him that he had to obey the Ten Commandments and when the young man explained that he had kept all of them from his youth, what then did Christ tell him?
“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross,(burden) and follow Me" (Mark 10:21).
But, the young man had much wealth, “But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Verse 22).
“And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God” (Verse 24)!
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Verse 25).
26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved" Verse 26)?
Continued...
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