"Misplaced Value"

"Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich." Proverbs 28:6

The scripture is making a comparison here- not between the rich and poor, but between the one who does good and the one who does evil. Unlike us, the Lord puts more value on what a person is on the inside rather than what he has in possessions. What we have is temporary, what we are is eternal. Riches and material possessions only last for a short time, you can't take them with you when you depart this earth and you have no guarantee that you will keep them while you are here.

Jesus told the story of two men- one was a rich man and the other was a poor man, a beggar named Lazarus. By our estimation the rich man was the one who was prosperous and well off, and Lazarus was the one who was poor. God's estimation was different. God considered Lazarus the richer of the two. How do we know? The story goes on to tell us that Lazarus went to heaven when he died and the rich man went to hell. Lazarus may not have had material riches while he was here, but he had eternal ones when he died- therefore, he was the richer one.

True wealth is not measured by the size of your bank account, the size of your house, what vehicle you drive, your annual income. True wealth is measured by Jesus Himself. If Jesus isn't in your life, then you are poor, even though you may have millions in the bank. Many people have misplaced value- they value the things of this world instead of putting value on the things that are eternal. When the scripture asks,"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26), it is really pointing us in the direction of what we should value more highly-- our eternal soul and making sure that we have eternal life when we leave this world. That's the real riches. Any one who wants to have true riches can have them, they come by putting your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and then following Him as your Lord.

Have a great day. You may have lots of possessions but that doesn't mean that you are rich- having eternal life is what makes you truly rich.

For further reading:
Luke 16:20-26
Matthew 6:21
Proverbs 8:18
Proverbs 11:4
Proverbs 13:7
Proverbs 23:5