Written by one of the wisest and wealthiest persons who ever lived, what does the ancient wisdom book of Ecclesiastes have to teach to us about wealth? In what ways has the human condition changed or stayed the same when it comes to the accumulation and management of wealth in our own time? Join Pastor Jim as we explore the riches of God’s wisdom found in Ecclesiastes!
Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,
Cease from your consideration of it.
When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
Proverbs 23:4-5
And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
“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.”
They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?”
Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:23-27
Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
Luke 12:15
For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1Timothy 6:6-10
“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”
G.K. Chesterton
“The early church was strikingly different from the culture around it in this way – the pagan society was stingy with its money and promiscuous with its body. A pagan gave nobody their money and practically gave everybody their body. And the Christians came along and gave practically nobody their body and they gave practically everybody their money.”
Timothy Keller
“In spite of what some ‘success preachers’ say, God’s goal for our lives is not money but maturity, not happiness but holiness, not getting but giving.”
Warren Wiersbe,
On Being a Servant of God
“The measure of all love is its giving. The measure of the love of God is the cross of Christ, where the Father gave the Son to die so that the spiritually dead might have life.”
J. I. Packer,
Rediscovering Holiness
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
