Perspective on Riches

Something I was pondering this last Sunday: In the world today, man’s nature is such that he is constantly pursuing gold and silver and other precious metals as well as rare jewels and other gems to establish his wealth. Man believes that the richer he is in these natural, albeit rare items, he will also be more powerful. For as far back as we can tell, man has always strived for this from the earth.

Revelation 21:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates . . . and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life [will be able to enter].

The most precious “item” there will be is the Lamb of God, the King of Glory, for He will be the light and the life of the city. With that perspective in mind consider this; for all the wealth the world tries to covet and gain, in the hands of our Lord Jesus, what the world views as riches and valuable on earth will only be building materials in Heaven! The streets of gold we walk upon will be nothing more than a beautiful paved walkway from the perspective of eternal life in Christ Jesus!

Something to ponder while the rest of the world strives for riches!

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.