How could I have taught and even written books on the subject of how to get rich, when Jesus spoke so clearly about the dangers of earthly riches? One of the statements of Jesus that kept echoing in my head and heart was in The Parable of the Sower, where Jesus said that “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in chock the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19NKJV).
The deceitfulness of riches! The more I thought about it, the more I had to admit that I had fallen into that snare. I had allowed the quest for material possessions, the deceitfulness of riches, and desires for other things to choke the Word of God in my own life, and in the lives of my family members and coworkers. As PTL grew larger, and our ministry more widespread, I had a financial tiger by the tail; just coming up with enough money to meet the daily budgets dominated my thoughts and my time.
I decided to dig into the Scriptures further to see what else Jesus had to say about money. For example, He said,
Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also. (Mattheww 6:19-21 NIV)
It wasn’t long until I began to understand that the real issue was all about heart. Jesus wants to love, 100 percent. The love of money and earthly treasures diverts our attention from Him. It is a thief, a harlot —the false lover—that steals our attention and hearts away from God.
Jesus makes this very clear in Matthew’s gospel. “No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and money” (6:24 NIV) In that passage I discovered that God’s priorities were much different than mine had been.
Jesus said,
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more impor-
tant than food, and the body more important than clothes?…. So do not
worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What
shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom
and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(Matthew 6:25, 31-33 NIV)
Practically everything in society nowadays acts as a seductive distraction from the real goal of living life well. As tough as it was for you to avoid the lure of money, sex and power, it’s even worse for everyone now. Sex of all kinds is encouraged in the media, superficiality and constant distraction/entertainment/stimulation is available 24/7 via The Internet, and the most popular television programs of the last ten years involve people getting away with wrongdoing (Weeds, Hung, Nurse Betty, Dexter, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, etc etc.) We’re encouraged to root for the Bad Guy: it’s all about Getting Away With It, living secret (or not so secret) lives and succeeding at being bad. Doing what one wants to do. The 60s mantra of ‘If It Feels Good, Do It” has been taken up and surpassed, to an alarming degree. The Internet and Social Media are combining to re-imagining America and turn it into a place where Everything and Anything Goes. What was once abnormal is now The New Normal, and anyone who tries to argue against it all is branded as a hateful, bigoted, intolerant fanatic. These are indeed trying times. Keep up the good work, Jim…