Can I confess something? I am a Christian, and I would like to be rich.
Well, not rich on the level of Bill Gates or Elon Musk, but rich enough to give me a certain level of comfort and more options in life.
If you’re rich, you could save time by going to private hospitals and doctors for medical appointments instead of queueing up at a public hospital.
If you’re rich, you could take a sabbatical anytime, and not worry about having enough to pay for all daily expenses and needs, especially during this time of inflation.
If you’re rich, you could have a much more comfortable life. You could take your family on the best holiday, buy anything you want, live anywhere you want.
And, of course, if you’re rich, you could help many others without feeling the pinch. You would be more able, as Paul instructed in 1 Timothy 6:18, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous, and to share with others. I’m sure many people would give more if they had more.
But then, in the same chapter, in verse 9, Paul also warns us (emphasis added): “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”
After meditating on this verse, I have to wonder: perhaps wanting to be rich isn’t so good for me. Or is it all right?
