"If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Luke 16:11, KJV)
The New International Version puts it this way: "So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"
Would you want to be rich? You likely already know the answer, but the truth is that the majority of humankind would prefer to be rich rather than poor. And yet, only a few people are truly wealthy, while the rest remain in the middle class or in poverty.
Which would you rather be:
A farmer?
A beggar?
I know the answer already. You would choose to be a farmer. Who in their right mind would want to be a beggar? A farmer provides for society; he is a person with resources. A beggar, on the other hand, simply begs and consumes. A farmer works hard to produce and provide, while a beggar waits for resources to be given to him. One of the reasons the wealthy are few is that it requires significant effort to become rich.
The Supply Chain of Wealth While the beggar waits for someone to feed him, the person who desires to be rich is working. He is looking for something he can provide to others. He is seeking out a manufacturer who can sell him raw materials at a low cost. To be rich, one must work hard: seek a product, find a manufacturer, bring that product to the store, and advertise it to consumers at a fair price. The rich man becomes a pillar of his community because he seeks to provide. The beggar is often rejected because he only seeks to get.
As it is in the material world, so it is in the spiritual. Our world is full of spiritual beggars. In the physical realm, we feel safe walking through an affluent neighborhood but remain on guard in a destitute one. Everyone wants to marry into riches; no one chooses poverty. Our world is dangerous today because it is destitute of "true riches"—spiritual riches.
What are Spiritual Riches? I can have all the money in the world, but if I lack spiritual riches, I am nothing but a beggar. According to the Word, spiritual riches are:
Meekness and Gentleness
Joy and Peace
Longsuffering (Patience)
Self-control
Faith and Goodness
Love
The majority of human beings are "broke" when it comes to these riches. Why? Because we either don’t know where to get them, or we prefer to beg for them from other people. A life lived as a beggar is miserable; a person devoid of spiritual riches will always have a miserable existence.
The Love of a Beggar When it comes to love, a beggar is one who is always seeking love to consume. A "farmer" (a spiritually rich person) is one who seeks love from the Manufacturer (God) in order to provide it to others.
Our society has become a consuming one. Our "manufacturers" have moved out of the country; as a result, we produce nothing and only consume. In a relationship, a consumer mindset expects others to love us while we produce no love in return.
God: The Great Manufacturer If you want to be rich, you must seek the greatest Manufacturer in the universe. God is the source of all true riches, and He is willing to "sell" them to us "without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1). Christ has already paid the invoice for all the goods we need. All we have to do is become entrepreneurs in the sharing of these spiritual goods.
It takes work to be a loving person. It takes effort to be patient and to persevere. God is calling us to be "spiritual entrepreneurs." He is calling us to be loving, kind, and peaceful—but you won't find those goods by begging from the other beggars of this world. You must go to the Source yourself.
A beggar believes it is better to receive than to give, but a rich man knows it is better to give than to receive. It is as we give that our wealth increases. A businessman is happiest when his store is sold out and empty, because then he can return to the Manufacturer to buy more. A poor man hoards what he receives; a rich man distributes.
The Call to Wealth The true child of God is a billionaire when it comes to true wealth. He receives from God and "sells" to humanity. He seeks love from the Source to bring it to others, encouraging them to go to God so they, too, may become rich in mercy and goodness.
Instead of waiting for someone to come and love us (the beggar mindset), let us become entrepreneurs of love. Let us empty the "store" of our hearts by giving love away, so that we have more space to receive from God. Your wealth will increase the more you give. Seek true riches, and let God be the source of your wealth.
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