Unjust Riches

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Jeremiah 17:11 says, “As a partridge that hatches eggs it has not laid, so is a person who makes a fortune, but unjustly. In the middle of his days it will abandon him, and in the end he will be a fool.” This person will eventually lose their fortune. It can happen unexpectedly in the middle of their days or even worse, it can be when you stand before Him in judgement and you realize you have nothing to show. You cannot take it with you.

This is like the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 who asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus tells him commandments he must follow but then tells him what he still lacks. He tells him to sell what he has and give it to the poor and then he will have treasure in heaven. And then he can come and follow Jesus. As it states, the rich young man went away sorrowful because he had great treasures. Jesus then says to His disciples that it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. And that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter His kingdom. It is not the wealth that hinders the man. It is where his heart is. And today too many rich men’s hearts are so far from what Jesus spoke.

The last part of Jeremiah 17:11 speaks to the one who gains their fortune unjustly, ending up a fool. This is not one without intellect, but one who acts as if God does not exist. One who lives without regard for divine wisdom and no concern for eternal consequences. As Jeremiah warns us, the heart is deceitfully wicked. And it is easy to see today how the amassing of wealth for power exceeds any commandment of the Lord. Our hearts are not aligned with His.

In 1980 the United States had just 13 billionaires. Compare that to 400 in 2010, and 900 today. Yet the income of the average worker is shrinking. It’s harder to afford groceries, or rent, or buy a home. The minimum wage has not kept pace with the wages of the wealthiest. Healthcare is unaffordable. Education costs have risen past what the average American can afford. I hear some in Congress and some wealthy men in our country say people should work longer or work two jobs. Yet in the same breath they offer no help with childcare. And they look to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and social security which they claim to be entitlements, yet we have paid into them.

We seem to have lost sight of how immense this current great and obscene wealth really is. And we have one in Elon Musk close to being a trillionaire. How can one even conceive of these unimaginable riches while so much of our world is in poverty and sickness? Food is scarce in so many countries and medicine is lacking. Water is so often polluted. Only a few billionaires are actually charitable. Too many still seek greater riches and working to align with the power base that guarantees their pursuit of riches. Judgement is coming and many seem unaware.

James 5 warns these rich and corrupt men that, “Your riches are corrupted. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord.” Do not look to so many of these notable rich people as if they are to be emulated. Too many serve a god of their own making. Seek Him to supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Pray without ceasing. Stand. Blessings.

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Published by Ed Craddock

B.A. University of Connecticut Licensed 2002 World Ministry Fellowship Ordained 2005 World Ministry Fellowship In April of 1992, I was in the hospital with my 3rd heart problem. The doctors were having difficulty trying to keep me stable and keep my LAD vessel open. It finally failed and I went into cardiac arrest for 18 minutes. They immediately had to open my chest up and started performing CPR. For 14 of those minutes, they manually did CPR inside my chest with my heart in their hands. The doctors completed an emergency double by-pass surgery, but then told my family there was still a 50/50 chance that I might not survive. And even though they performed CPR and massaged my heart to keep my blood circulating, there was also a 50/50 chance I could have brain or kidney damage from being in cardiac arrest for so long. Obviously, I survived. But the next week in the hospital was filled with supernatural manifestations of the Lord. I saw things that I won’t get into at this point and had dreams showing me what I would be doing for Him in my life. Throughout my life I felt I knew things ~ sometimes ahead of time. I wrote it off to coincidence or maybe even being psychic. I was always a “believer,” but that was all. After coming home from the hospital in 1992, He spoke to me audibly. I finally said yes to whatever He wanted and had purposed for my life. I know that hearing His voice and ministering prophetically is real and from the right source. I have been doing my best to serve Him for quite a few years. I hope to continue serving in some capacity as long as I have breath.

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