It’s time to discover your spiritual riches
Are you aware of the spiritual riches God has provided you with? Some folks are not.
Not too long ago, I was talking to a lady who had expected to inherit quite a lot of money from an older friend. He had said he would provide for her in his will. But he passed on before the will was changed.
This lady thought she should still be entitled to the money she had been promised. But the man’s adult children did not agree and didn’t give her a penny.
She wasn’t interested in spiritual riches
She focused all her efforts and even her prayers on getting that money. I tried to talk to her about her spiritual inheritance and the infinite spiritual riches and resources she had already from God, but she really didn’t want to hear any of that.
The only thing that mattered to her, her only concept of riches and wealth, was the money, that in her mind, she was being cheated out of. She had no inkling of the spiritual riches God was constantly making available to her.
Why is that? Why do some people only think of money or the possession of material things as wealth, and not recognize the incredible value and worth of spiritual riches, the spiritual assets they already have access to?
What is your mindset about spiritual riches?
Well, I don’t have all the possible answers to that question. But it really has to do with someone’s mindset. The mental lens you look through determines largely what you see, or at least how you see it.
Jesus made it clear that life is not about the material possessions you have.
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:13-15 NIV
If you believe God has made limited resources available to mankind and you have to do everything you possibly can to get your share of those resources, your life will take on a very different direction than if you realize God is constantly providing you and everyone with an unlimited supply of spiritual riches and resources.
It’s okay to have an make money. What’s your motive?
There’s nothing wrong, in and of itself, with having money, and lots of it. It’s more about how you get that money and more importantly what your attitude is about the money you have.
When you get at the heart of true wealth, it’s not about how much money or how many material possessions you have. True wealth is spiritual.
You’ve probably seen this in your own life, or in the lives of others, that over time, money can come and money can go.
The book of Proverbs points this out and encourages us not to focus so much on just getting more money.
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. Proverbs 23:4, 5 NLT
Where is your treasure?
Jesus made this same point in the Sermon on the Mount.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 NIV
The real question is: Where is your treasure? Or maybe: What do you treasure most?
Don’t make a god out of money
As I said, there’s nothing wrong with having and making money, lots of it. But if you think of money as the source of your happiness, your ability to do and have what you want to, you’ve basically made a little god out of money.
It’s a hard lesson for some folks to learn, but money is not actually the measure of true wealth.
Jesus measured people’s spiritual riches
Jesus measured wealth very differently than most people. The Gospel of Mark tells a story that brings this out.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44 NIV
How would Jesus measure your spiritual riches?
What is Jesus saying to you in this situation? Does it turn something upside down in you? That’s good. Jesus takes away our material approach to living and replaces it with a spiritual approach. He’s trying to show us our spiritual riches.
In this particular case, he’s showing the immense value, the spiritual riches, of dedication and love this poor widow had and lived.
Are you comfortable in this world because you have plenty of money? Jesus would say that true comfort, having all your needs met, comes from God, not from money.
A lot of people have just not figured this out. They chase after money. They think it is the high goal and they can never get enough.
You can’t walk (or think) in two different directions
But, as always, Jesus puts everything in perspective.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24 NIV
In other words, you can’t walk in two directions at the same time. You cannot serve and worship God as the creator and source of all good, and at the same time put money first in your life.
If you are putting your trust in the hands of money, and think of money as the source and substance of your happiness, it’s pretty difficult to let go of that and grasp that your spiritual riches are much more valuable.
Material versus spiritual riches
A rich young man, who came to Jesus, found this out the hard way.
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:17-22 NIV
What would you choose?
Here was a young man who was trying to do what’s right his whole life and was full of sincerity and integrity. No wonder Jesus loved him. There are so many things going on in this story, but I’m just going to focus on the fact Jesus offered this fellow the opportunity to discover his treasure in heaven, his true spiritual riches, and follow him.
On the surface, this seems like what the young man was searching for. He had asked Jesus about inheriting eternal life. That seems like another way to describe discovering the spiritual riches of the kingdom of heaven.
But the man balked at Jesus’s invitation, at least then. We don’t know what happened to him the next week, the next month, or 10 years later. He may have pondered deeply what Jesus said to him and had a spiritual transformation at some point in his life.
Or he may have dug in his heels and held onto his material wealth with even more determination than ever. We really don’t know.
Jesus’s lesson for you and me
But after the man left the scene, Jesus used this experience as a teaching moment for his disciples, and that includes you and me. How does what Jesus say here apply to your life?
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:23-27 NKJV
Storing spiritual riches in heaven
So, let’s come back to what Jesus said about storing up your treasures in heaven. What does that mean? How do you do it?
It’s not like there’s a giant spiritual bank vault somewhere for you to put things into. Storing up treasures in heaven is living your life here on Earth with all the spiritual riches God has blessed you with.
Every time you forgive someone, every time you love your enemy, every time you are humble, every time you are unselfish, every time you trust God when things seem hopeless, you are storing up spiritual riches in heaven.
Basically, every time you follow Christ in the way you think, act, and love, you are storing up treasures in heaven.
Right at this very moment, and every moment, you have the spiritual riches God has given you as resources for living a fulfilling life.
But I need money
Now you may be thinking: Hey James, I get it. We have spiritual riches from God, but that doesn’t pay the bills. It doesn’t put food on the table. I need money to get the things I need in life.
Hey, I know what you mean. In most parts of the world money is a normal part of life. It’s a way to buy what you need and show support and gratitude. It gives you the opportunity to help others. But money responds to the motive behind the way you use it.
Think of all the things you didn’t pay any money for, the gifts you’ve received, the things that were your great-grandmother’s, or the things you made from found items in the woods or on a walk at the beach.
And then there are the things that are non-material like a loving relationship with friends and family, your ability to give to and receive help from others. Your joy, your gratitude, your creativity, your honesty. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. You have so many spiritual riches.
What do you do with your spiritual riches?
What are you doing with them? How are you investing these spiritual resources so they will grow and multiply?
Every time you express your love, joy, gratitude, helpfulness to others, you’re really investing your spiritual wealth in yourself and sometimes someone else. As I said, this is how to store up treasures in heaven. And the wonderful thing is that, even though you’re storing them up in heaven, these spiritual riches are always available to you’re here on Earth.
But let’s come back to the practicalities of having what you need, the food, the clothes, the rent money, and whatever else you need to live your life.
How and why your needs are met
Jesus makes a beautiful and powerful promise in the Sermon on the Mount. It’s actually a prophecy as well.
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33 NIV
God knows what you need and will provide it. When you seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first and foremost in your life, this opens the door for God’s provisions to come into your life.
Accepting your spiritual riches gives you what you need here on Earth
How does that work? How and why are our human needs met when we seek the kingdom of God first in our lives?
Jesus gives us the simple answer. It’s because as Jesus says,
…the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17 KJV
Later he explains:
…behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21 KJV
When you are conscious of the presence of God’s kingdom of heaven in your life here and now, you become more and more aware that in heaven you have all you need. And since heaven is here and within you, this awareness translates into you having what you need here on Earth.
My friend had no money and no food
A friend of mine had this happen to her many years ago. Her husband was a builder. He had finished several projects, but had not been paid for his work. This was before the days of everyone having multiple credit cards.
It was the day before Thanksgiving and they’d had absolutely no money for several weeks. She had three young boys and they were all hungry. They had eaten every bit of food in the house. There was nothing.
She went to the kitchen one more time to look at the empty shelves. She had been praying all along, but mostly for her husband’s clients to pay him. In desperation, she prayed like she never had never before.
When she got a glimpse of her spiritual riches
She thought of how much God loved them. She knew that in the kingdom of heaven she and her family could not go hungry. She could see that in heaven they had everything they needed. And she felt the presence of God’s kingdom in her heart.
A few minutes later the doorbell rang. Her neighbor had several bags of food in her hand and explained that she had to go out of town unexpectedly. She wouldn’t be able to use all the food she had bought for her Thanksgiving dinner.
She asked my friend if she could use the food. If so, she had a turkey and a gallon of milk back at the house she’d bring over too.
Her immediate needs were met
What a blessing to my friend and her family. Their immediate needs for something to eat were met. And her neighbor’s needs were met because she was going to be gone for two weeks and all that food would have spoiled and gone to waste.
When my friend had a clear sense that all her needs were already taken care of in the kingdom of heaven and that her spiritual riches were abundant, literally her door opened to let in the food that met her family’s need. That food lasted them about a week or so and then her husband’s clients finally paid up.
This is just one example of what happens when you seek first the kingdom of God, when you acknowledge and accept the spiritual riches God has already given you in His kingdom. Jesus told us in the Lord’s Prayer to pray for God’s will in heaven to be done here on earth.
Your heavenly, spiritual riches are here now
In heaven, it is God’s will to bless you with abundant spiritual riches. And He does. That means you have those spiritual riches here on Earth, because heaven is at hand and those spiritual riches in turn will supply your human needs.
If you are in a situation where money and resources seems scarce, do what you need to do to find a solution, whether it’s looking for a new job, starting your own business, or whatever it might be. But more importantly, pray to discern and accept that God has already blessed you with unlimited spiritual riches and resources in His kingdom.
Claim these spiritual riches as your rightful inheritance as a child of God. The more you are aware of your spiritual riches in heaven, the more you will be able to perceive and receive them here on Earth.
I’m not talking about the prosperity gospel of just trying to get more money in your life. This is about having your treasures in the kingdom of heaven.
The more you use your spiritual riches, the more they mulitply
And the more you use these gifts from God, the more loving and patient you are with people, the more honesty and humility you express, and all the other spiritual riches God has endowed you with, the more these will show up in your daily life and be a blessing to you as well as everyone you know.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Photo credit: Simon Ray
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Luke 12:13-15 NIV
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Proverbs 23:4, 5 NLT
4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.
5 In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.
Matthew 6:19-21 NIV
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Mark 12:41-44 NIV
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.
42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.
44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Matthew 6:24 NIV
24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Mark 10:17-22 NIV
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ”
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Mark 10:23-27 NKJV
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 6:31-33 NIV
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 4:17 KJV
17 the kingdom of heaven is at hand
Luke 17:21 KJV
21 …behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
