In the last post, we saw how the Almighty should be our gold and precious silver. We continue on that same thread of making God number 1 in our lives, even above gold and silver. When we seek God and His righteousness (another name for Jesus), we get every Kingdom blessing along with Him. This idea always brings to mind the parable about wisdom. A son was wise enough to pick the servant. You probably know the parable.
A king was about to die. He had an only son. But in the house, there was a much-beloved servant who had served him faithfully. This was in the days before you had written wills and last testaments. Every agreement was oral. It was also a period when men and women knew their end was near. It was also the son’s chance to pick the servant, but he did not realize it until later.
The end was near for this king. He wanted to ensure his will was done after his death. The king called his servant, who was like a son to him, and his son. He informed them he had decided to leave every possession, except one, to his servant. Ordinarily, the son would be angry, but not this son. He continued to pay attention to his father, as always.
The son next heard he had the right to choose first but could only pick one of the father’s possessions. After that, everything else would go to the servant. The young man thought about it and had enough wisdom to pick the servant. Thank God the son was wise, and would you know it, wise men still choose Christ. They know that in Him dwells the Godhead bodily and that we are complete in Jesus.
Pick The Servant To Get All
In our case, who in this parable represents the servant? His name is Jesus, the one and only Servant King. Once we pick the servant, we have access to everything that God possesses, which is everything. Do not forget that unto Him belong the cattle on a thousand hills. I daresay the hills themselves are His. There was nothing else the young man could have done that would satisfy him like that decision to pick the servant.
It should be the same with us. But most of the time, as we pray and petition God, we think only of a small section of God’s awesome possessions. We want houses, cars, spouses, children, and particularly, we want money. We know money can buy us houses, cars, and even spouses. Does the Bible not say that money answers all things? So, as we pray, we are not asking to have more of Jesus, our thoughts are on money, money, money.
If we knew to pick the servant like that wise son, we would have all the silver and the gold we could ever need. Please observe the ‘need’, not ‘desire’ in the last sentence. A lot of us desire more than we need. We may want excessive wealth so we can use it to oppress others, or as James 4.3 says, to spend on our lusts. How much food can one eat?
You become a spectacle if you pile on clothes just because you have them. And try sleeping in two rooms every night because you live in a six-bedroom mansion. Additionally, a hot desire for riches (more than you need) is a snare that leads to ruin and destruction. Pick the servant King and you will have everything you need. His name is Jesus.
Should Believers Not Desire Wealth?
Please keep in mind that believers should desire to be rich. We saw how God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. For that, we must pick the servant. Our Savior, whom we follow, is rich in both glory and wealth. He had to leave the glory He had with the Father from the beginning to come and walk the earth. Remember that He exchanged His riches for our poverty so we could be rich.
However, there are two points to note about the desire to be rich. The first point is in Philippians 4.19, a verse all believers know quite well and pray with. it says “My God shall supply all your need(s) according to His riches in glory.” Please note that although we make that verse about plural needs, it speaks only of one need. Which need is God talking about in this verse? What is the one great need of the world? Our singular need is to believe in Jesus because the sin of which the world is guilty is unbelief. In John 16.8-9, Jesus said “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin; and of righteousness; and (of) judgment. Of sin, because they do not believe in Me.”
Our Only Need Is To Pick The Servant
Our only sin is that we do not believe in Jesus and our only need is to believe in Him. We need to pick the servant. That is the need that Philippians 4.19 will supply, not the needs we think of as we pray. Like the son who had enough sense to pick the servant, believe in Jesus and the rest will follow. Sadly, we find it hard to believe in God for the sake of believing. We usually come to Jesus because we have one problem or another; one physical need or another.
And that is the point the Bible makes in James 4.3. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Why do we want to be wealthy? To show off? Is it to oppress others? To spend on designer clothes, shoes, and nails? Or do we want to use it to help others and expand God’s Kingdom here? If it is the last reason, you are in line for great wealth. But remember that such a desire comes from having enough sense to pick the servant king in the first place.
Maranatha!
