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Are You Rich?


Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (I Timothy 6:17-19) 

          Are you rich in this world? If you live in North America, even if you’re on welfare or disability, you’re probably have more money than most people in the world. Of course, the cost of living is part of the equation. I don’t think of myself as being rich, partly because as I see it, what I have must last me the rest of my life. But when I think about being rich, I don’t just think of money and property. I also think about talents, abilities, skills, health, intelligence, education, strength, common sense, love, etc. Anything you have that you realize someone else doesn’t, that’s an area in which you are rich. Paul tells Timothy to warn people not to put their hope in their wealth. Their hope needs to be in God because God is the One who has provided these things to us for our enjoyment. 
          Let me repeat those last words…for our enjoyment. We shouldn’t be arrogant about the blessings we’ve received, but we shouldn’t feel guilty either.  God gave them to us for our enjoyment. Have you ever heard of a helper’s high? Scientists have found that when we help someone, our bodies release endorphins. Biologically, doing good, being rich in good deeds, being generous and willing to share can make you feel good.
          As I said earlier, I don’t think of myself as being monetarily rich. I do, however, have a brain that does a pretty good job at some forms of analysis, that retains information with a fair chance of recall, etc. I have a body that needs work, but it’s in fair condition. I have some talents, skills, and experiences. The neat thing about many of those is that using them to do good deeds doesn’t diminish my supply. Giving you information doesn’t mean that I don’t have it any more. 
         There are some people who think I ought to keep my mouth shut because they don’t like the information I share. The problem is that as far as I’m concerned, information is my greatest source of wealth. If I don’t share it, I am not loving the person from whom I withhold it. They may judge what I say to be nothing more than my opinion, and it might be just that – but I’m trying to be generous and willing to share my greatest treasure. Someone may think it fit only for a landfill, but they must be far richer than I, because what’s in my head is (to me) my greatest treasure. To not enjoy it or share it would require that I be hateful, arrogant and selfish.

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