Proverbs 10:15-16

¹⁵The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. ¹⁶The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

Ideal life

            What is ideal life for you? Are you living the life you were wishing to have? Are you seriously taking the path of life you wished? Or, have you ever dreamed of an ideal life that you wish to experience for the rest of your life on earth? How do you personally interpret what is written in Ecclesiastes 11:8? ⁸However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.

            The English term “meaningless” was translated from a Hebrew term for vapor or breath. It is properly interpreted as delusion, useless, vanity, worthless or futile. The phrase, “Everything is meaningless,” suggests that accumulated or accomplished things are nice but eventually fade away; it cannot completely satisfy as compared to eternal gratification that God reserved in his heaven.

            How do you practically compare eternal contentment? You’ve got new gadget, but after a while, you want a newer gadget. Why? Only heavenly things can satisfy us eternally. Nevertheless, material wealth can be beneficial somehow.

1.  Wealth

        ¹⁵The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

            Truly, it is far desirable to have so much wealth than scarcity. Everyone may dream of things that wealthy people enjoy. They want an ideal wedding just like their wealthy friend had. They publish pictures and videos of luxurious wedding ceremony: wedding outfit, the place of reception, food, places for honeymoon; they cause anyone salivate and desire to experience similar event or situation.

            What else? The rich people have bodyguards. If you have bodyguards who may follow you even in the washroom, it’s not very exciting. What do you think?

            Did you know that even rich people desire eternal life that believers of Christ are assured of? What does the Scripture teach about wealthy people?

Inherit Eternal Life

            There’s rich ruler who was very religious. He followed the commandments of the Lord from childhood. He asked Christ what he must do to have eternal life.

Christ advised him “Sell everything you have; give to the poor and follow me.”

How did the rich ruler react to the advice of Christ? The rich ruler was very sad.

Take note: Christ instructed him to sell everything he had and give to the poor; but Christ did not tell him to give all the revenues from the sales to the poor. But maybe when Jesus said, “Follow me!” the rich ruler cannot accept being follower.

Christ declared in Luke 18:24-29, ²⁴“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁷Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” ²⁸Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” ²⁹“Truly I tell you,”  Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

            Have you personally proven it? We seriously practised our faith in Christ because we trust him to fulfill his promises. Indeed, we proved that the Lord had faithfully given us more than anything we have left just to follow and serve him.

            Wealth is useful for practical necessities; wealth can also be used to earn eternal treasures. Do you wish to have abundant wealth? If God would bless you more than what you need, what is one thing that you would spend with your wealth? What do you interpret when it says, “The wages of the righteous is life?”

2.  Wage

¹⁶The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

            The term “wages” can be translated as “earning, revenue, income, product, yield or harvest.” Righteous behavior is life; wickedness is sin resulting to eternal death. Surely, we desire to have ideal life; we cherish great experiences in life.

Do you think life as breathing, eating, drinking, playing or travelling around freely and leisurely? Biblically, what is “life” as result of righteousness?

Surely, when we are limited in our activity, it feels like we are suffocated. We want financial freedom so that we can travel anywhere anytime we wish. We can also buy anything we need or desire. But if financial resources are scarce and not sufficient, it may feel like there’s no freedom to live our life to its fullness.

How do you personally interpret what Christ had declared in John 8:36?

³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

What does it imply when Christ sets us free? Is it freedom to do what we want?

It is freedom from being dictated by human sinful nature. It is freedom to choose righteous behavior. Human effort is manipulated by sin. The Holy Spirit of Christ gives us freedom to live righteously. Together, let’s reflect on 2 Corinthians 3:17.

¹⁷The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 

            This freedom that Christ offers helps us to explore our destiny, competence or potentiality. Have you reached your potentials yet? Are you afraid of failure? Did you know that we sense fear of failure when we rely upon our human effort? Fear of failure limits us from reaching our best accomplishment or best potentials.

            Why do people who are rich keep doing what they love to do? Wealthy politicians are active in politics even at old age. Businesspeople do not just sit along the beach all their life. Why do rich people not just enjoy spending their wealth in pleasure as they wait for their death? Well, if you dreamed of having so much wealth to live in leisure and pleasure all the times, you’ve ordinary mindset.

            Rich people can retire and live comfortably but they do not subscribe to the unproductive kind of life of leisure and pleasure that ordinary mindset wishes.

Retire Early

            Someone retired in his mid-40s; spent his time fishing. Few years later, he returned to work because he was bored fishing all the time. Leisure and pleasure can be fun once in a while, but they can never give a sense of accomplishment. Why? Imagine the time of pandemic when everyone is require to be isolated. It’s suffocating. Why? We want to attain our potentials that God prepared for us.

            How do you practically interpret what it declares in Ephesians 3:20-21?

²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

            Do you interpret that Christ Jesus has prepared great potential for you that you never dreamed of or imagined? If you can imagine a great situation that you may wish to possibly become, the Lord’s plan for you is far greater than that.

            Pray for stronger faith to trust that Christ is preparing you to be greater than you can imagine. Pray also for godly wisdom to interpret clearly and act upon practical steps and follow the path that the Lord prepared for your destiny.

            And when that design of God is actualized in your life, when you reach your potentials, you will certainly sense rejoicing, praise and gratitude in your heart.

            Glory and praise belongs to him forever and ever. Amen.

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