Articles
Possessed By Possessions
We all are likely familiar with the story of the rich, young ruler (Matt. 19:16-21). He was a man who came to Jesus, asking, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” [Seems like a good question, right? It's not.] After Jesus told him to keep the commandments, this man had such a twisted view of what pleased the Lord that he actually asked, “Which ones?”— as if we can leave some undone.
Nonetheless, Jesus told him, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’” to which the young man replied, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” [I'm sure he honestly believed that he had kept them perfectly, too!]
Jesus then answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Upon hearing this, the rich, young ruler “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Luke's record (Luke 18:24) tells us, “And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For 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.’” Indeed, how hard it is.
John reminds us of the three avenues of temptation and sin when he wrote of “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). The ESV has a note on that last one, also describing it as pride in possessions. The phrase literally means 'boastfulness about one's standing in life,' and could be based on one's social or political standing or one's material wealth and abundance of material possessions. Let's not overlook the fact, though, that one doesn't have to have great power or riches to be boastful of one's life. Any man who boasts of who he is or what he has is guilty of “the pride of life”; it just tends to happen more often with those who are materially wealthy or hold positions of power.
If you've ever heard someone arrogantly say, "Do you know who I am?" then you know what “the pride of life” is all about. It is that mindset that says, "I am important and you must recognize that," or that causes one to boast about the material wealth or possessions he owns as a measure of his superiority over others, who obviously have less than he. [Think of Haman as an example, cf. Esth. 5:10-14]. Like every other sinful act, this pride of life is self-centered, and as the rich young ruler demonstrated, it will keep us from eternal life if we allow our possessions to possess us.
The rich young ruler's fault — and that of many others who loved their material possessions more than even their souls — was that he had come to love those possessions so much, they became his purpose in life. Maybe he had worked hard to accumulate his wealth, or maybe it was handed to him on a silver platter by his father — it doesn't matter; what matters is, he came to love those things more than God Himself, and they stood in the way of eternal life because of it. He could not imagine life without those material possessions, and the very idea of parting with everything he had was beyond his comprehension. He had trusted in his wealth as his security, rather than in God, and, in his mind, Jesus was asking too much!
Such is the danger of materialism! Is it any wonder that Jesus once said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24; ESV). Either Jesus will be our Lord, or money will — but they both cannot be our priority. When we allow the Lord to possess us, our lives will reflect that choice; if we allow money to be our lord, that, too, will be reflected by our lives. If our possessions are what is most important, then we will have no time for Jesus, we will be unwilling to give up any of those possessions, much less all of them. When possessions are our focus and priority, we start believing they will make us comfortable, secure, and safe. We might even begin to think our wealth is a sign of God's blessing!
The wise writer spoke of the deceitfulness of riches when he said, “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them; so what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes? The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches kept for their owner to his hurt. But those riches perish through misfortune; when he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a severe evil — just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? All his days he also eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and sickness and anger” (Prov. 5:10-17).
The apostle Paul knew of the deceitfulness of riches, too, and warned Timothy, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:9, 10). He then exhorted Timothy, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). What a contrast to the end of the rich, young, ruler, who turned away from eternal life!
From these passages, let us briefly note a couple of points to help us make the right choice of who our Lord will be:
Trust in God, Not Riches. Jesus reminded us the treasures of this earth are “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” while the treasures in heaven do not suffer such losses (Matt. 6:19, 20). God has promised an inheritance in heaven that is “incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away” (1 Pet. 1:4). Earthly riches will not last, for they can be taken away. What God has promised us is eternal.
Since riches may be lost, stolen, or destroyed, what sense would it make to put our trust in them? As Paul noted, they are, at best, “uncertain.” Trust in God, who does not lie and does not change. THAT is certain.
Riches Will Not Bring Satisfaction. As the wise writer noted, more riches only meant more ways to spend it, and there is no peace of mind that comes with greater wealth; if anything, it only brings more stress and heartache. On the other hand, one with the hope of eternal life in heaven can go to sleep at night in peace.
There is no peace like knowing your sins have been forgiven and eternal life awaits. Not only can you rest at night, but you can also have eternal peace. —— Steven Harper
