Being Rich

Hi guys,

Does anyone know what the church thinks about people who's hearts desire is to become rich.
Could you please explain what is good and bad about wanting to be rich and whether it is wrong or right because many people may say they want to be rich to serve the poor.

Comments

  • Being rich needs to come from hardwork.  Because our church does not suppport like you know lotteries.  But if you are like a doctor and you have spent all of the money for college because you have worked hard all of your life.  The money you get from being rich, if it does not go to the poor, our lord will not be happy.  Like you know the verse "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."  Luke 6:38  :)
    Pray for me
  • Also you don't have to be rich to serve...

    You can use whatever talent the Lord has given you to serve His children...

    If you are a good speaker, you can comfort them and strengthen them through your honest and touching words, If you are a creative person, you might be able to collect money for them in one way or another (eg organize a fund raiser). Maybe you can just spend time with the less fortunate and make them feel accepted and happy, you will learn a lot from them... In Egypt I saw a lady who stayed at church after mass to read from the Bible to those who can't read or write and to help them memorize some psalms by constant repitition. (Side note: this was very touching, but at the same time made me feel ashamed, for those people who cannot read have probably 'read' more in the Bible than me (who can read... :-[ ))

    Whatever talent God has given you (and He gives everyone something I think..), your prayers for His children can litterally move mountains...

    God Bless
    Please pray for me
  • Seeking riches and wanting to be rich is a dangerous thing. A person wishing to become rich is obviously in danger of the love of money: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10). Therefore, the desire to become rich, simply for pleasures' sake is a sin.

    There is however, nothing wrong with money itself - it is a gift from God to man, a means of organising society, and also "nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food" (Matthew 10:10). A man should work, and should receive his reward for his toil, and this money can be used for goodness - alms to the poor, helping the sick, building churches are all examples of this.

    pray for me

    joe






  • Everyone else has hit the nail on the head in this thread. godislove, that was a very nice post thanks for sharing it :)

    I heard a recent sermon in which the priest said we must differentiate between goals and missions. A mission is the final objective and we set ourselves goals to acheive our mission. My mission in life should be to be with God and to serve Him...and I can acheive that mission by setting myself a whole variety of goals. For example, I can set myself the goal of being rich so that I can use my wealth to help the poor, thereby serving the Lord.

    But the problem comes if my MISSION is to be rich, because then all my goals will be focused towards trying to get rich. It's a pointless mission, whether I work hard for it or not. Once I become rich, then what? I've acheived my mission...now I can just spend it on worldly desires, die rich and that's that.

    The real mission worth accepting is to be with God and to serve His holy name: "One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple."

    If we set our goals according to THIS mission, hopefully we should all reap the benefits later on :)

    God bless,
    Matthew
  • Abouna Mikhail Tobia once told a story after ashaya once.

    There was a man named Taylor who made clothes, and He loved the Lord very much. He always gave more than 10% tithes when it came his way. He thanked God for everyday that he was blessed. After a while, buisness increased and he was able to get more income. He glorified the Lord and gave evn more tithes. His income continued to increase and he only praised God more. Then he came to a point where he owned a very large store and gave 100% of his profit to the poor. That store is now known as Lord and Taylor
  • we can not serve 2 masters... and money always takes the role of a master....becasue it pretty much controls everything... but the other MAstere, GOD, is a better way to go,....
  • That verse is only appliable if we make money the number one priority in or lives. If we use it for the glorification of God it is OK
  • Does anyone know what the church thinks about people who's hearts desire is to become rich.
    Could you please explain what is good and bad about wanting to be rich and whether it is wrong or right because many people may say they want to be rich to serve the poor.

    if your heart desires that you become a rich man... than it cannot desire to live with God! if one's heart desires God, and only God, he will serve the service of God! but for a person's heart to desire to be rich, its not right, and will end in destruction...


    “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.


    never ask to be rich, but rather ask for God's will, give Him your all... not everyone is mean for the service of the poor, but rather the true service is give yourself 100 percent to God... and then God will guide you, and do what is best for you!

    nakhod el baraka... neshkor allah!

  • The point of the story was to say how believing in God and doing his commandments would bring blessings...
  • I think we live in a vey consumed and materialistic society where everything is about getting as much as you can even if ur stomping on other people......I love Mother Theresa....her simplicty is amazing and she wasnt RICH!...being rich doesnt mean anything at the end....u can everything but still feel empty inside....ie.suicide rate for popular pplz.....
  • We are already rich. If you asked a man (this man lives in a 2mx 2m dwelling and the walls are not strong enough when a gust of wind hits) living in the slums of Africa, what does it mean to be rich, he would say 'if you have a roof over your head and have something to eat that night for supper then you are rich'. Our definition of rich shifts. Remember when you were a child you would get $5 a week and said to yourself if I would get $10 a week I would be rich, and then when you actually got $10 you would think that a higher amount would make you rich.

    The truth is, if you have food in the fridge, a roof over your head, and clothes on your back, you are rich- you are in the top 8 percent of the world. The thing is, we have so much food in our fridge that could last us for weeks, and how much changes of clothes do we have? 50? 100? And how big are our houses, they could fit 100 on a birthday celebration. We have cars, we have "houses for those cars" (garages as explained by a poor man), and we have computers and laptops with Internet. Try even describing the Internet to a poor man in Africa. He will call you crazy because they cannot even fathom it. Oh and we have an immense amount of money under our mattresses just in case anything happens. And we have plenty of the valuable materials in the world, gold and diamonds to decorate ourselves. If that is not rich, I don't know what is. Face it, we are richer than 92% of the world just by having these things.

    We are rich. And thats good news and bad news.

    Good news: WE ARE RICH!

    Bad news: Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
  • [quote author=neversaydie1 link=topic=7294.msg96613#msg96613 date=1225533800]
    Hi guys,

    Does anyone know what the church thinks about people who's hearts desire is to become rich.
    Could you please explain what is good and bad about wanting to be rich and whether it is wrong or right because many people may say they want to be rich to serve the poor.


    I think you are talking about being ambitious and successful. I think it is pretty obvious that love of money is a sin. However, wanting to succeed in life is not.

    Wanting to make a profit from your business is not a sin. However, it would be a sin if you killed yourself in doing so.

  • HG Bishop Youssef said in one of his sermons that like
    there is no definition of who is rich and who is poor...bc it is relative
    in each culture and society..what does it mean to be rich and what
    does it mean to be poor?
    But there is nothing wrong to be "rich"..if u dont put your trust in money.
    If you do put your trust in money, and not in God... then there is a problem.
    the love of money=putting your trust in money.
    He who puts his trust in money...is very troubled if he lost his money.
    But him who puts his trust in the lord, he will say with Job: "the lord gave,the lord
    took. may the name of the lord be blessed." & he will have peace and security in
    the lord and not in money.
    Thanks =]
  • Even on the U.S. currency, it bears:  In God we Trust.
  • Being rich is not wrong unless thats your final goal in life. But if you work hard and God rewards you with that then there is nothing with it. But remember God said you cannot worship two masters, you cannot love Money and God. So always remember that God comes first and then no matter what happens after it wont make that big of a difference.
    In regards to serving the church and giving to the poor, remember the story of the lady that gave two cents out of her need. Jesus gave her more credit and honor than everyone else that gave out of their abundance. God looks to the heart and no matter how small you can offer to the church, God will very much appreciate if its out of a loving heart.

    Pray for me
Sign In or Register to comment.