Be Rich In Jesus Christ

One of the founding fathers of the United States, Patrick Henry, was a native of Virginia, of which state he became Governor. He was eminent through life as a statesman and an orator.

A little before his death, he remarked to a friend, who found him reading his Bible, "Here is a book worth more than all the other books which ever were printed; yet it is my misfortune never to have, till lately, found time to read it with proper attention and feeling."

This excellent man left in his Will the following important passage;—

"I have now disposed of all my property to my family: there is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is, the Christian religion. If they had that and I had not given them one shilling, they would, be rich; and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor."

So many of us traverse through our entire lives in the endless search for worldly riches. Some of us acquire what we believe to be the riches that were sought after, but either through time, greed, illness or death, they soon vanish from our grasp.

After reading the above quotation by Patrick Henry, it reminded me of the bible passage 1 Corinthians 1:5. This one powerful passage can be looked at as three distinct parts which describe the true source of the riches that are found only in Jesus Christ. Let's take a look:

1. The source of these riches is found in Jesus Christ. God wants the best for his children. His promises are riches for us all. Phillipians 4:19 says,"My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

2. The promise of these riches is that a person is enriched in everything. Christ makes a difference in every facet of life. In other words, He makes a difference in what you or I want. Even more importantly, Christ also makes a difference in what one does with what one has.

This enrichment is "in all utterance and in all knowledge." "All utterance" is the outward expression, and "all knowledge" is the outward. These apply to such areas as husband-wife relations, parent-child relations, and relations with friends and acquaintances.

They also apply to one's physical welfare, such as blessings and privileges of health and the sufferings and sorrows of illness. Enrichment can also apply to one's economic life, which would include earnings and expenditures. Most of all, enrichment applies to one's spiritual life.

3. To have this enrichment, certain conditions must be met. One must surrender all aspects of one's life to the Lord Jesus. Ones must have an abiding faith in Jesus and his promises as set forth in God's Word. One must be obedient to God's will after first determining what it is.

So what is the main idea of all of this? It is this; that in order for you and I to appreciate the riches of Christ in our lives, we must focus our attention on his promises and not on ourselves. A simple concept for sure, but one that is very difficult for most of us to follow.

Scripture readings:

Romans 2:4 "His kindness and forbearance and patience"
Romans 9:23, Ephesians 1:18, 3:16 The riches of God's glory
Romans 11:13 The riches of God's wisdom
Ephesians 1:7,2:7 The riches of his grace
Ephesians 2:4 The riches of his mercy
Ephesians 3:8 The riches of Christ are unsearchable
Romans 10:12 "Abounding in riches for all who call upon Him"
I Timothy 6:17 The world offers uncertain riches
Luke 16:11 Jesus gives "true riches"

Let's Pray:

O God, who resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble: grant us the virtue of true humility, where of Your Only-begotten son showed in Himself a pattern for Your faithful; that we may never by our pride provoke Your anger, but rather by our meekness receive the riches of Your grace. Amen

God bless you,

Adele