It's amazing I don't starve to death considering how often I end up with my foot in my mouth.
I was talking to a couple who were engaged to be married. I was sharing about research that had been done concerning weddings and marriage outcomes. "The larger the attendance the more likely you are to stay married," I told them. "The more expensive the wedding the less likely you are to stay married," I told them.
My wife shot daggers out of her eyes which told me I had just said something stupid. I had no idea what. I tried to recover...
"Of course it's just generalizations," I say, "It doesn't apply to everyone." I'm grasping for straws here. The daggers are stuck and I can't get them out. I don't know what went wrong.
The groom asked me, "Is it because people go into debt?"
"No," I say, "I believe that technically it has something to do with bridezillas. I don't know. Anyway Heather wants me to stop talking like 5 minutes ago, so I gotta go..."
Unique Challenges
Being rich in the local church can pose unique challenges. Unlike a private school, a board room, or a vacation destination you are in a tight knit community with large wealth disparities. Hopefully, you are friends with very poor people. And on top of that your pastor (who is usually solidly middle-class) forgets that you are wealthy and quotes marriage statistics that could make you feel guilty for having a nice wedding. (Yeah, that's what happened above)
There's no agreed upon definitions for being rich. One friend told me years ago, "You are rich when you can live off the interest your money makes, you're wealthy when you can live off the interest on your interest." Ever practical, the Bible tends to take a more pragmatic view of things viewing the rich as anyone who has much more than what they need to live or comparatively more than their neighbors. I've learned in our church that just dealing with the wealth of a very well-paying job can be a challenge, particularly to younger people from middle-class families.
Thankfully, the Bible contains some serious wisdom for wealthy people. Look at this:
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (I Timothy 6:17-19, NIV)
From this passage we gain 3 Principles for living with wealth:
1. Don't Put Your Hope in It
It's so easy to trust in your wealth or to trust in yourself when you are wealthy. Sometimes it helps to remember what money can't do. It can't fix your marriage. It can't give you children. It can't heal your body. It can't soften your heart. It can't heal the wounds from your past. It can't forgive your sins. It can't give you life after death. Those are all things God does.
Yet we put our hope in wealth. It's not that money can't deliver us things. It's just that money can't deliver us lasting things. Even a building that bears your name will some day be dust, but it's pretty easy to buy into the lies when professional fundraisers are stoking your ego and desire to leave a legacy. "Give to this cause and your legacy will be secured," they tell you. But your hope is eternal and lasting and it can't be secured by wealth.
2. Enjoy Some of It
Bet you didn't see this one coming from the pastor! But, the Bible says that God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. When I was a little kid we took family vacations to Mississippi to stay with my grandparents. When I was a teenager we took family vacations to Egypt to see the pyramids. What changed was the level of wealth of our family. There's nothing inherently wrong with enjoying the wealth God has given you in a way that is responsible and appropriate. If you can afford a nice wedding without debt and in line with your budget and priorities then go for it!
In our society you probably don't need to be encouraged to enjoy wealth, but it is helpful to be reminded that fun was part of God's idea when he blessed you with it.
3. Invest Your Wealth in Things Close to God's Heart
Andrew Carnegie said, "It is more difficult to give money away intelligently than to earn it in the first place." And how right he was. Work hard to become a generous person. Give often and anonymously. Give regularly and to special needs. Be careful about giving to be seen by people. Set up a line in your budget for unplanned generosity or benevolence. Take on missionaries with monthly support. Like Andrew Carnegie apply your skill and business acumen to giving away money in responsible ways.
One of my wealthy friends once gave a $500,000 tithe to a church plant I was a part of that had not even started yet. He had cashed in some stock options and needed to tithe on the income. So wisdom dictated he set it up as a trust to make monthly disbursements that would sustain the church through the first 5 years. Your knowledge and planning can help serve your local church well.
Become "rich in good deeds" and discover what the Bible means when it talks about storing up treasure in heaven. You've gotten good at treasure accumulation in this life, view your wealth as a tool to help you build wealth in heaven, because you can't take it with you, but you can send it ahead!