To Be Rich

Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Pro 30:8-9)

Would you like to be rich? I am not ashamed to admit that I would like to be. I would put up with all the problems that come with wealth—security issues, higher taxes, mooching relatives—if I could have enough so that I wouldn’t ever have to worry about money again.

I justify my desire by saying that if I were rich, I could better devote myself to ministry. Imagine the possibilities. Being able to do whatever God calls me to do without having to worry about pleasing enough people to earn a paycheck. Having the funds to do a project without needing to raise it first. Having the emotional security that comes from not worrying about your next meal.

There are two problems with this scenario. First, would I really do so? When I have time now—however little or much—how well do I use it in ministry to God? One minister friend once told me that every minister he ever knew who made significant money—whether from ministry or from outside—and achieved a position of even modest wealth eventually stopped putting his all into the ministry.

While this is not universally true, I have seen enough instances to know that he had a point. Why would this be so? Perhaps having a certain amount of money makes one too relaxed, like the man in the parable whom Jesus quoted as saying, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” (Luke 12:19) Did Jesus not also declare that some who fell away did so because the “deceitfulness of wealth” choked the effects of the Word of God? (Matt 13:22)

The second problem is this: God has created us to be dependent on each other. This dependency, not a detailing of spiritual gifts, is the primary focus of 1 Corinthians 12. No one person in the Body of Christ is supposed to be in a position where he does not need the others. Therefore, to be forced to involve others in the church in the funding of ministry is part of God’s plan, not some necessary evil.

Therefore, while poverty has nothing going for it (see the verse from proverbs quoted above), wealth may not be so great either. Instead of wanting to be rich, perhaps I should desire to be godly and let God take care of the rest.