Really? You wish! I’m almost certain that if you don’t think like that, you have at least heard somewhere or know someone with this belief. Let me tell you that this is nothing but nonsense belief that has been implanted in our heads for many years and probably one of the reasons many are not prospering financially.
We all have been programmed somehow by our cultures and/or religion which shaped our beliefs and turned us into what we are and how we think. I know this because I was one of many who had certain disempowering beliefs that kept me from doing what I wanted to do.
Question is, where did this idea or belief come from?
As with many other beliefs, this one came from the wrong interpretation of the Bible. There are many passages on the bible that people use to justify these limiting beliefs that poor will go to heaven and the rich will stay behind. We will explore some of them and meditate on their real meanings.
In Matthew 19:23, Jesus says “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus said that because a young rich man came to him boasting that he was keeping all the commandments of God and essentially affirming that he has done enough good works to be worthy of eternal life. Jesus then tested him and asked him to give up all his fortune and follow him. The young man refused to do so which means he placed more trust in his money than in Jesus. Jesus didn’t care about the money, He just wanted to show him that his heart was on the money, not in God.
There were many wealthy people in the bible that Jesus didn’t ask for them to give up their fortunes. Why? Because the problem is not the money, the problem is when you make money your God. And that’s what Jesus was trying to show the young man. Jesus was also showing him that no one is perfect enough to keep all the 10 commandments and that was the reason He came to the world.
If what the bible says is true and God is perfect and holy, and if He will judge us by the 10 commandments, we are all toast because I am 100% sure that there is no one in this world who is perfect and never broke the 10 commandments.
According to the bible, Jesus came to die for us and pay for our sins so we could stand a chance when judged by a perfect and holy God. Meaning, Jesus is essentially our Lawyer. In the court of God, he intercedes for all who believed in Him and His teachings. Because when judged by the 10 commandments, everyone will be guilty for sure. I am not religious and don’t go to church but it kind of makes sense to me.
So being rich is not the problem. Having money as your master is the problem.
When Jesus said that it was hard for the rich to get to heaven, he was referring to the rich folks who put all their trust in their fortunes. With their mouth they used to say that they loved God more than anything, but their hearts were on the riches. And when you are a slave of money, it controls you. But it should be the opposite, you should control your money, not the other way around. Money should work for you, not you working for the money.
Money is just that, money. Money can do nothing by itself. It needs to be used by a human being. And it can be used for good, and it can be used for evil.
Let’s not forget that Jesus himself accepted donations from his followers and He also paid his taxes. Even Jesus needed money to be able to survive in this world. The fact that he used money means that He has nothing against money, He just advises us not to put all our trust in money because life is more than our material possessions. Prosperity is more than material possessions.
Another passage on the bible that people use to justify their beliefs about poor going to heaven and rich staying behind is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). This story talks about a rich man who lived in luxury everyday and didn’t care about Lazarus who was a beggar. He didn’t show any love or compassion for him. Lazarus wanted to eat even what fell from the rich man’s table but not even that he got. The bible says that after they died, Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man to hell.
Let’s be clear here. The rich man didn’t go to hell because of his riches, he was there because he trusted his money more than God and became selfish, arrogant, and had no mercy even for the ones in need. He had enough money to give and share with others in need, but he refused to do so. Not even food he gave to Lazarus. We are called to love one another, regardless of our financial condition. According to the Bible, when we fail to do so, it’s like we don’t love God. How can we love someone we don’t see when we don’t love someone we see?
According to the bible, God commands us all to love each other regardless of culture, religion, beliefs, etc. Gosh, he even commands us to love our enemies. I know, easier said than done. But if you don’t try, you will never become a better version of yourself. And that’s essentially what prosperity is about. Becoming the best version of ourselves and transcend to the next level.
And when you improve your financially life, for example, you will have more to give and you can help more people, right? Does that make sense to you?
Another passage in the bible that causes confusion is the fact that Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Did you catch the “poor in spirit” part?
Yep, he didn’t say poor in money or financially poor, he said poor in spirit which essentially means your spirit is lacking something, which is usually communion with God. Regardless of your financial status, if you don’t take care of your spiritual life and seek communion with your Creator then, according to this passage, you won’t have access to the kingdom of heaven. I think you can all agree that if your financial life, your spiritual life, your love life, and your health are all in shape, you will certainly start experiencing the kingdom of heaven.
In conclusion, you can definitely be a God-fearing rich and generous person, and even have more impact in other people lives than someone with less financial resources.
Ask yourself this question: How many people you know who are poor and are horrible persons? They kill, they steal and do all kinds of evil. Do you really think they should go to heaven just because they are poor?
And remember, most of the greatest personalities in the bible were extremely rich. Abraham, Kind David, King Solomon, among many others, were all rich folks. So clearly God doesn’t disapprove riches. He just commands us not to trust our money more than Him.
If you have this kind of belief, be assured that improving your financial situation won’t take you to hell. In the opposite, you will start experiencing a piece of heaven on earth when you have the financial resources to take care of your family and still have left to share with others.
Money will not change who you are, but it will allow you to become more. If you are a generous person, you will become even more generous when you have more money. If you are arrogant, you will become even more arrogant when you have more money. It will just be a version of yourself on steroids.
I trust this article has helped you get rid of such limiting beliefs that are possibly holding you back and preventing you from prospering financially.
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