So, who is the richest man in the world? The names of some of them are readily recognized in America—Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Bloomberg, the Koch brothers, the Walton family and the Mars Family. We may not know all of them, but who has not heard of Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart, Mars candy bars or Tesla?
It is hard to imagine Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world and the founder of Amazon, increasing his personal wealth of $40,000,000,000 last year. Now compare that with the people you know. It is important for us to see heaven’s list of the “Wealthiest People in America.” When God looks down on this land, who does He see as having great wealth?
Think of the value God places on the heroes of faith through-out the Bible. Hebrews chapter eleven lists so many who served God and lived by faith. How much do you think God values them? Some of them were rich but most of them were often just like we are—common people who are seeking to serve God.God honored the faith of those who “… through faith subdued kingdoms…stopped the mouth of lions…quenched the violence of fire…became valiant in battle” (Heb. 11:33-34). However, He also honored the faith of those who served Him without any earthly wealth. “Still others had trials of mocking and scourgings, yes of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented…They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth” (Heb. 11:35-38). Contrast these words describing the “poverty” in which they lived with the “luxury” of the wealthiest in America.
How does God see this contrast? What are His values? Our Lord looks at those whom the world would see being worthless and says of them, “Of whom the world was not worthy” (Heb. 11:38). We must never forget that the “wealthiest” are the “poorest” and the “poorest” are truly the “wealthiest.”
When your faith brought about the salvation of your soul, you obtained a value worth more than all that exists. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul” (Matt. 16:26). The poorest Christian is wealthier than the richest man on the Forbes list of the richest.
Your worth is not decided by the values used by the ungodly. I recall one poor Man who had no place to “lay His head.” What was He worth? Now apply that to yourself.
~ Adapted from: Dan Jenkins
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