The Richest Man On Earth

We live in a day where people are looking to see who is the richest man alive. It changes more quickly than you might think. We look to see what advice the rich people give us. How did they obtain their wealth? How can we get money fast? 

Luke 12:15 says, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” The Bible speaks about wealth and money a lot. It is hard for the rich man to get into heaven. Trust not in riches. Take no thought for tomorrow. Jesus did not have His own house. The rich man cannot keep his riches when he dies. As Christians, we believe these things. However, we ignore them. We don’t want to think about them. 

Can a Christian be rich? If a Christian is a good steward, will he not be given more? Isn’t a man supposed to provide for his family? Do we spend our time and energy on gaining earthly wealth or heavenly wealth? Should I give all of my possessions to the poor with a true heart of charity? Andrew Carnegie amassed a great amount of wealth in his day. He finally came to a point where he wanted to invest in humanity. He said that it was far harder to give wealth properly than it was to gain it.

Ruby Gordon, a wise Christian widow in my first church, related this story. “When I was a little girl, my sister and I were walking to school. We were late. As we got near the school, we heard the bell ringing. ‘Let’s pray,’ my sister said. I responded, ‘Let’s run and pray.’” When it comes to money, can we come to a balance of working and trusting? We cannot serve God and money. If we are thinking about money most of the time, is there time for us to pray unceasingly? But if we are about to be thrown into prison for our debt, shouldn’t money concern us? Maybe it should have concerned us before that point. Maybe we should not have gone in debt at all. Then how can we buy a house or a car? Is it always wrong to borrow?

These are important questions to consider. We must come to grips with them. If the Bible didn’t say so much about this subject, we could just forget about it. The Bible says that to whom much is given, much will be required. We have been given much instruction on this subject in the Bible. We each must, as a Christian, settle this matter in our heart and mind. We must form a Bible-based understanding that we live by, and will someday answer for. Luke 12:15 contains three words that we should make a matter of prayer and consideration: “covetousness,” “life,” and “things.” When Jesus said, “Take heed,” He meant it. “Take heed” is a warning of danger. Jesus used this term concerning false doctrine and deception. If we don’t stop and take heed, we will be deceived. Our own understanding is not enough. Remember, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. Is Satan the giver of riches? If Jesus had accepted the offer, He would have also had to worship the giver. Are we any different? Jesus answered, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’” (Deuteronomy 6:13). 

I can’t give you a simple answer—my answer. It is too dangerous to trust what I say, or what anyone else says. You will someday stand alone to answer for yourself. You will have only you to blame for your choices. You only have one lifetime to put this into practice. Your days may be long or short. Take heed now!

Learn a lesson from the two richest men that ever walked the earth. The first Adam had all the wealth of the world and the blessing of God, yet wanted just one bite more. The last Adam owned all the wealth of the world, but gave it up to save you and me (of more value than all the world) and refused just one bite of the devil’s bread in the wilderness. Who are we going to follow?