Galatians 4:1
“Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything”.
Paul uses an analogy in this verse. He compares a child of the wealthy to the kids of others. The child of wealth isn’t self directed or powerful. However, as the child becomes an adult, he will inherit wealth and power.
As believers we are children of the wealthy. When we come to Christ, we are infants in the faith with little power or wealth. What are these things referring to? First off, some are spiritual. Mark 11:23 gives us some insight into this, “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.'” The more we mature in the Lord, the more we do His will. Literal mountains won’t move, but situational ones will. He helps us solve our problems. He opens doors that allow for change. He will use us to assist others. This is the arena of wealth and power.
This is a paradigm shift. Few think of wealth and power in these ways. We see the images on tv of those with worldly wealth. They buy what they want and control much of their world. Kindness and morality aren’t associated with them. Wealth in God’s economy is being genuine and loving others.
Being wealthy in God’s kingdom can also apply to personal traits. One is to be genuine. That is to be real. We know what we are and are not. We don’t seek to impress or persuade. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, here’s what He said to one of His disciples, ‘”Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”‘ Nathaniel was who he said he was.
John Wooden, the great UCLA basketball coach had this to say, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” That’s being genuine. This is a valuable trait which is better than great wealth.
Another trait of great value is to know one’s talents and to use them for career and assisting others. Each of us is a collection of interests and abilities. We can be distracted and invest our time in areas where we have little skill. For example, it’s common for a child to say, “I want to be an astronaut or fire fighter when I grow up.” However, as they mature, those goals often change when either the interests change or they learn their talents aren’t a match. We tend to gravitate towards that in which we are successful.
We also have talents that benefit others. The Lord bestows on each of us skills that assist others. Some are joyful, some are wise, some are caring, some are helpful, some are discerning, and so on. The Lord seeks to use us to be a blessing to those around us.
The riches of God’s kingdom bring true happiness. Worldly wealth brings greed and worry. But God’s riches bring freedom and joy. James 1:17 says, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” There aren’t strings attached to God’s blessings. There is no fine print that tricks us. He seeks to bless us and He wants us to pass those on.
Lord, thank You for adopting us. Thank You for the great riches that You bestow on us. Help us to grow in all that You consider riches. Help us to be a blessing to others.