Our society has an ingrained idea that the most important life goal is to become rich. We teach our children the importance to gaining wealth. In 1860 the Milton Bradly Company introduced the board game “The Game of Life” or later known as simply “Life.”In 1960 they introduced the modern version of which they have been several. But the object is ultimately to win by getting rich.Starting as children we a conditioned into believing that that is how you win at the REAL game of life. Ted Turner (founder of CNN and worth about 2.5 billion dollars) once said: “Life is a game. Money is how we keep score.”But then we consider what Jesus said. He said that’s not the truth. What He did say was powerful. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19-21).In other words, you can put your money in the “earthly” bank—yourself, your desires, your wants, or you can invest in the “heavenly” bank. But let’s look at a couple questions first.Is there anything wrong with having wealth? The quick answer is “No!” (See Prov. 10:22 and 21:20). An many of the people in the Bible were wealthy and who were righteous. But they does not mean that having money is an sign of God’s blessing or that a person is saved. Jesus taught (Luke 18:25) that “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.”Jesus told the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. The Rich man’s money did not save him. His wealth did not impress God, because he did not use his money to help others especially the poor man Lazarus. And Jesus told the parable of the rich man who had a very prosperous harvest and intended to tear down his barns (Luke 12:1621). This man considered his money to be “his” and life was all about him. He laid up treasures on earth rather than in Heaven and he paid a high price.So why would anyone want to be rich? Because we have been conditioned to ...
