TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD: Week of November 27 to December 3, 2023, “Having a lot of money does not mean being fair”, Prepared Speech.

TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD:  November 27-December 3, 2023, “Having a lot of money does not mean being fair,” Prepared Speech. 

“Having a lot of money does not mean being fair” (10 mins.).

Nowadays the economic situation has become so difficult that people think about winning the lottery and invest a lot of money buying tickets to achieve it. Although not everyone does it, but they do have to make great sacrifices to obtain sustenance. Making a living in this world is not easy: It requires a lot of effort and is usually exhausting.

And the result is that they forget the most important thing: Doing God's will. Which shows us that "Having a lot of money does not mean being fair", or not having it means being unfair... Money has no relationship with justice.

For this reason, we are going to reflect on this issue, a biblical topic that is relevant for this week and it is a topic that has intrigued humanity throughout the centuries, about the relationship between material wealth and justice. Divine justice through the Bible story specifically in the book of Job and Luke.

And with the example that Job and Jesus give us captured in the scriptures as a guide, we will approach this analysis and reflection on whether having a lot of money necessarily implies being Righteous in the sight of Jehovah, we see that Zoar had the perspective or belief that the loss of Wealth was a punishment from God for the wicked, that was the erroneous reasoning of Zophar, one of Job's supposed comforters, who implied that while Job had money, he was righteous, now that he had lost it, he was already a sinner, This was raised in Chapter 20 verse 5,10 and 15 what does it say……………….

LET'S READ JOB 20:5,10,15.

5 that the shout of joy of the wicked is fleeting and the happiness of the irreverent* only lasts for a moment.a

10 His own children will try to gain favor with the poor, his hands will restore their wealth.

15 He has swallowed the wealth, but he will vomit it out; God will take it out of your womb.

So in these verses we are presented with the idea that the joy of the wicked is fleeting, that their own children will rebel against them, and that even if they accumulate wealth these will eventually be taken from them by the divine hand. 

This perspective suggests that material wealth and justice are related, but is this true? well to these statements, Job asks a question and says: Why are there evil people who do well?, that is practically what Job said, because there are evil people who do well economically, Zophar stated that God takes away the riches of the evil, implying that Job must have done something bad. What does Job respond to this? Let's read together please the same book of Job, but this time chapter 21 and verses 7 to 9, it says like this......

LET'S READ JOB 21:7-9.

7 Why do wicked people continue to live, grow old, and get rich?*

8 Their children are always before them, and they get to see their descendants.

9 Their homes are safe, they are not afraid, and God does not punish them with his rod.

So Job questions the prosperity of the wicked, because he wonders how they continue to live and grow old while apparently avoiding Divine punishment. This contradiction between Job and Eliphaz invites us to reflect on the relationship between justice and material wealth, and whether prosperity always indicates a Divine blessing.

To address the issue a little more, let's look at the example of Jesus, it is that in his example we learn that true wealth goes beyond material things, who was not rich materially, but was rich in a spiritual sense. Now let's move on to our Bible, now to the gospel of Jesus where we find Jesus as a clear example that justice does not always translate into material wealth, let's notice what is said in Luke 9:58 that we are going to read, the text says what following…………… 

LET'S READ LUKE 9:58. 

58 But Jesus answered him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

According to the text read we see that Jesus lived in a simple way, without having many material possessions. What it teaches us is that true wealth is not in the material, but in the spiritual. So here we see someone righteous, yet he had no comforts or material possessions, but let's walk a little further into this parable, and Jesus' teaching of laying up treasure in heaven.

Let's delve into this teaching, through this parable in Luke 12 here in verse 21. Jesus contrasts the idea of ​​being rich before God with the selfish accumulation of earthly treasure. He exhorts us to reflect on what is most important for someone righteous and urges us to be rich in the eyes of God. This parable challenges us to consider the purpose of our possessions, and how they can strengthen our relationship with the Divine. Let's think about the lesson we can learn from these two examples: "Whether rich or poor, what is most important to a righteous person?" The most important thing is: Be rich toward God, use what we have to strengthen our relationship with him. 

As we see in the photograph in our activity guide, In the illustration we see that outside a humble house, a brother reads a text to a family. The father continues reading the Bible while the mother and little son listen attentively. Now what lessons can we draw for our daily lives? What is the lesson that this teaching leaves us? Well Jesus encourages us to divert our attention from material accumulation and focus on enriching ourselves before God. Brothers: Let us reflect on the very true words of Jesus, he said in Luke 12:15 and I invite you to read, it says like this...

LET'S READ LUKE 12:15.

Then he told them: “Keep your eyes wide open and avoid all kinds of greed, because, no matter how much you have, the things you possess cannot give you life.”

Being rich toward God will make us open the door for him to shower us with blessings. Let us remember that the Bible says in Proverbs 10:22: The blessing of the Lord is what he enriches, and with it not, he brings no pain.

This text reminds us that true blessing comes from Jehovah and is not always linked to material prosperity. By using our resources to strengthen our spiritual connection, we open the doors to Divine blessings, building wealth that transcends the merely material in our daily lives. This teaching urges us to reconsider our priorities, and not focus on accumulating earthly riches, but riches. lasting that are spiritual riches.

In addition to analyzing the prosperity of the wicked, this point challenges us not to judge justice based solely on material success, but rather we could learn from Jesus, who despite his justice, did not seek material comfort. So in conclusion material wealth is not always an indicator of Justice as the experience of Job and the life of Jesus reveals to us.

By focusing on true wealth, that which is appreciated by the Divine, we embark on a journey toward a deeper understanding of justice and blessing. Whether rich or poor, the most important thing for a righteous person is to enrich his spiritual life and open to the abundance of Divine blessings, that we may remember that our true wealth is found in our relationship with Jehovah. 

So, in order to be rich toward God, we must strive to fully participate in Christian activities, which, in the eyes of God, really have value. So if we use our time, energy and talents to do the will of our God, we will be making a good investment, one that will provide us with considerable spiritual benefits. Proverbs 22-24 sums it up very well: “The result of humility and the fear of the Lord is wealth, glory and life.”