Deceitfulness Of Riches

 “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”-Mark 4:19

Some time back I had a conversation with a young man who had just received a big promotion at work.  He told me, “Patrick, I am making more money than I ever dreamed.”  As we stood there and talked about his new job I observed the brand new Chevrolet he bought, the luxurious boat that he was trailering, and the new clothes he was wearing.  He then proceeded to tell me about all the upgrades he added to his house and hobbies.  As time went by the conversation got around to God and church, I asked him if he was coming back to church.  His reply was: “I would but I got to work.”  This scripture came to me later “cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of  other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”

The riches of this world purchase us a degree of safety, opportunity, efficiency, entertainment and access.  We cannot buy time, but we can pay others to do the things that we would have to do.  We cannot buy friendship, but we can purchase things that others want to be surrounded by.  We cannot buy safety but we can purchase the means to help us stay safe.  Riches can be used to lift man out of struggle, to make merry the heart, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry.  You can pay the maid to clean your house, the nanny to raise your children, and the mechanic to fix your car (or just buy a new one).  Riches can stand in the place of toil and sweat, knowledge and expertise.  They bring comfort to the flesh.  You sleep in better homes, better hotels, and you travel in better cars or planes.  If you are cold you buy warm clothes, if it's hot you put in air conditioning.  You are hardly ever without the ways and means to accomplish your ways and means.  Riches can accomplish many things, perhaps that is why people love them so deeply, and devote themselves to them so fully.  However in the most important things, riches fall woefully short.  Riches increase pride, and lust.  They become a snare and a trap, especially when coupled with the accumulation of debt to leverage risk in hopes of greater and greater riches.  They entangle and tether you to this world, corrupting the simplicity of the gospel.  The scripture says: “but I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”   A simple gospel produces a simple life, and in simplicity there is freedom (as well as unity).  As Ed Miller said in 1952: “the more we expand in our greatest and our wealth the more division we will have.”  He was right then and he is right now.  The deceitfulness of riches enhance good intentions but they can erode the spiritual senses, because the only way to know the will of the Lord is to spend time with him, and rely on Him.  Riches employed by the will of man, can counterfeit the will of God.  I have often wondered how many schemes, programs, and evangelical initiatives exist today in the church as a direct function of man's will, mixed with man's money, propagated in God’s name.  Instead of God’s will, mixed with man’s faith, manifested by the power of the Holy Ghost.. One is born in a board room, the other in a prayer room.  Not to mention the fact that there are some things that riches cannot do.  Psalms tell us: “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:”  No amount of money ever converted a sinner.  No amount of money ever brought a second of conviction.  Riches won’t preach.  The ministry is messy and you cannot “hire out” the Lord’s calling on your life.  You must take up your cross and follow Him.  Wisdom from above is not gained by wealth, and you cannot purchase the doctrine with dollars.  The currency to purchase these is gained through communion with God and Christ.  Thankfully, when riches fail us, and they certainly will, prayer will not fail.  If the church believed in prayer the way they believed in money we would need less of the latter.  Riches access all the means of man, but prayer access all the means of God.  

Prayer can do what money could never do.  Prayer can change hearts, convict sinners, comfort the broken, deliver the just, and much more.  Jesus did not teach the disciples to fund raise, he taught them to pray.  He didn't teach them to organize or strategize, he taught them to pray.  These things may be birthed from prayer, but they should not supersede prayer.  Prayer is the medium which promotes change in the believer, the church, and the world.  Prayer brings revival.  Prayer abases the flesh.  Prayer casts down the pride or man and leaves only the will of God.  “Pray in secret and the father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”  The Lord teach us to pray, to rely on you, and recognize the deceitfulness of riches.