Do You Want to Be Very, Very Wealthy?

What is true wealth? Is it gold that glitters under the sun? Or is it wealth that no one and nothing, not even death, can take away from you?

Let's consider material wealth for a moment. We can have absolutely everything we want in life: huge mansions, fancy cars, ever-expanding wardrobes, and a sailboat or two to boot--but should our lives be measured by monetary values? Is the worth of our lives so calculable that we can consider ourselves wealthy simply by adding up our material possessions? Even if we feel wealthy by owning great possessions, what good would such wealth do us when natural calamities take them away from us? And when we die, could we take our wealth to our graves? Thus, our lives shouldn't "consist of the abundance of the things [we possess].” (Luke 12:15, WEB)

What is True wealth then? Jesus our Messiah and future King once told a parable that answered this question:

The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, "What will I do, because I don't have room to store my crops?" He said, "This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will tell my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.'" But God said to him, "You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared--whose will they be?" So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
(Luke 12:16-21)

So true wealth is being rich toward Yahweh God Almighty, the very Creator who has given us the precious gift of life. Being rich toward God is establishing and maintaining a sacred and intimate relationship with Him and His Son. Such a relationship will last forever, for when we love God and His Son Jesus Christ, we will live with them in an everlasting paradisiacal world of sheer love, joy, peace, prosperity, and perfect health after our future resurrection in God's appointed time. A sacred relationship with our Creator will never grow old; it'll be "a treasure in the heavens that doesn't fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys." (Luke 12:33) Indeed, such a treasure is not able to be measured--certainly not by the dollar sign as the measuring stick.

But how do we achieve this eternal wealth? Where do we even start to reap such gold?

Well, let's say someone who is interested in being your friend approaches you. How should you respond in order to accept the friendship invitation? The answer lies in the question, the key word: accept. Acceptance is the key.

1) Accept God's invitation to have a relationship with you. Yahweh said, "Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which doesn't satisfy? listen diligently to me, and eat you that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Turn your ear, and come to me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." (Isaiah 55:1-3)

Your Creator has graciously extended His open arms to you. He has initiated a potential relationship with you. He offers His riches to you freely. The only catch is for you to accept it! Once you accept His invitation, you will be fulfilled and satisfied immeasurably in an everlasting covenantal relationship, just as the sacred covenant He made with David, king of ancient Israel, promising him that his dynasty would be eternal. True to God's words, David's throne will last forever, for his descendent, Jesus our future King, will reign over us to time indefinite. You'd be a future resident of that Kingdom if you accept God's invitation today!

But exactly, how do you accept God's fellowship invitation? You do so by accepting and honoring His Son, Jesus as your Lord and Savior, for "whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him." (1 John 5:1) Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father, except through me." (John 14:6) To know the Son is to know the Father, for Jesus is the image of God, having the same spiritual qualities as God such as enduring love, grace, righteousness, and justice (John 14:7; Colossians 1:15). It's only when you know Jesus will you have an understanding of the invisible God whom no one has ever seen or could see (John 1:18), and it's only through your trust and knowledge of Jesus can you become the child and rightful heir of God and co-heir with Jesus (John 1:12; Galatians 4:3-5). Therefore, without Jesus, you would not be a part of God's family or His Kingdom. So accept Jesus into your heart by repenting of your sins and trusting him for your eternal salvation. Once you do, you'll have both God and His Son, and for the first time, you will have the privilege of calling God your Father, for only those who believe in the Son will be adopted as the children of God! (Galatians 4:5)

2) Accept God's instruction manual for your life. Yahweh wrote a manual that introduces Himself to you, telling you of His likes and dislikes, His wishes, and deepest yearnings--and among His deepest yearnings are you--to have a sacred relationship with you! In His manual we call the Bible, you can understand how to maintain an everlasting friendship with your Heavenly Father.

The Bible is like God's Facebook or Myspace profile. It's where you get a glimpse into Yahweh's majestic personality, His awe-inspiring creativity, His almighty power, and His enduring lovingkindness. But unlike all the personal profiles we browse on the web, Yahweh's profile isn't just about Him--it's about what He desires for you, what His plans and purposes are for you. It's like a special letter a good friend writes to you, desiring your best in life.

3) Accept a godly lifestyle. Since the Bible is a life's manual on living a purposeful and godly life, don't just read it--apply its teachings and principles to your daily living to start reaping its full benefits today. God's Word promises: "Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to Yahweh's law. Blessed are those who keep his statutes, who seek him with their whole heart. [They] will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever [they do] shall prosper." (Psalm 119: 1-2; Psalm 1:3)

Jesus compared the person who merely listens to God's instructions without putting them into practice to a foolish builder: "Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn't do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." (Matthew 7:26-27) But the one who does what God instructs is akin to a wise builder: "Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock." (Matthew 7:24-25) And Jesus is our Rock, for he is God's Word incarnate (John 1:14).

4) Accept God's help to help you maintain a deep fellowship with Him. Achieving true wealth--richness toward God--will be your lifelong goal, a goal that cannot be accomplished overnight. It can be achieved only through team work: your Heavenly Father empowering you with the strength and courage to be faithful to His commandments, and you cooperating with Him by trusting Him for your every need and want and by seeking His Kingdom and righteousness first. And when you seek His will first, all other things will be added unto you, and with Him will your heart be, for "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Luke 12:34)

To sum it all up: Acceptance is love: love for your Father, love for your Savior, and love for God's commandments. If we love God and His Son, we would love their commandments. If we don't love their commandments, that proves we don't love God. The two go together; we can't love one without loving the other. Jesus said, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. He who doesn't love me doesn't keep my words. The word which you hear isn't mine, but the Father's who sent me." (John 14:23-24)

When you have love for both the Father and the Son, you will be in complete harmony and spiritual union with them, as Jesus said, "I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him." (John 14:20, 21) Now that's true richness!

Once you achieve your mission of being an immeasurably wealthy person, all glory, praise, and honor will go to your Heavenly Father and Savior for motivating you, empowering you, and cheering you on!