As Christians, how are we to regard our wealth and possessions, and enjoy them in life? Wise Solomon wrote in Proverbs 10:22: "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." This verse speaks of God's intention when He is pleased to bless us with wealth. Not only does He desire that wealth be given to satisfy us and meet our needs, He desires that it also gives us happiness, not sorrow. However, we must realize that the wealth that God blesses us with is not meant for us to enjoy without Him.

Some may think that their wealth is obtained through their own hard work and determination. They do not have God in their heart. They forget about Him. They conveniently put Him aside, and enjoy the “fruits” of their labour. But their enjoyment is filled with sorrow and anxiety. There is no peace in their heart. They constantly worry if there will be a downturn in the economy tomorrow. They worry if someday, everything that they have may be taken away from them. They are wary as to whether people around them will take advantage of them. When they experience some losses, no matter how small, they easily groan and complain. They worry and become sad. There is no peace in them at all.

There is a Bible character who truly understood the place of wealth in his life. His name is Job. Satan believed that if God were to allow Job’s wealth, family and even his own health be taken away from him, Job would curse God and not trust God anymore. But Satan was wrong. Job even blessed the Lord when bad things, one after another, happened to him. Even his own wife asked him to curse God and die. But Job remained faithful. Such is a man who understands the position of wealth in his life. Job knew that God is in control. It is up to God to bless or to take away anything and everything in his life, if God so wishes. We must never enjoy God’s blessings on us without Him. If you are rich, but you leave God outside of your life, you remain poor spiritually and sorrow will always linger around you. If you are poor materially, but you trust in God, you are regarded as rich and the joy of the Lord becomes your strength. In the end, God blessed Job with far more than he had originally because he knew the position of wealth in his life. He did not let his faith in God suffer at any time, be it good time or bad time. Let us be like Job, for he was able to enjoy God’s blessings fully and happily to the end  (Job 42:17). May God help us. Amen.