His Reward Will Be Better

As I read through the Wall Street Journal this morning, I was struck by the beauty of a Colorado ranch in the Aspen area. A natural gas executive, Charif Souki, turned the 813-acre ranch into a “mini country club,” which consists of gorgeous views and exquisite amenities. As I read the article, I must confess that my heart was full of envy. I thought to myself, “Oh how I wish I could have things like that in my life.” Then, I was struck by the thought, “You may not have the physical possessions mentioned in this article, but you have been promised something far greater in Christ.”

The Deceitfulness of Riches

In Mark 4, Jesus warned against the desires that I felt in my heart this morning. There, in the parable of the sower, Jesus describes how the seed of the gospel of the kingdom fell on different types of soils. The soils represent how different people in different situations receive the seed of the gospel of the kingdom. In one particular case, the seed fell among thorns, which Jesus described as “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things” that “come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” The apostle Paul noted this phenomena in 1 Timothy 6, when he told Timothy to warn those who desire wealth in this life. He wrote, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” What a statement! Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. The very thing that people believed would make them happy actually brought grief and sorrow.

For those who were already wealthy to some degree, Paul issued this command: 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. Thus, for Paul, the Christian’s aim is not the accumulation of treasures for this present life, but the building of a foundation for the life to come.