It is fascinating to learn how famous people live. We read about their fancy cars, their homes in Los Angeles and the Caribbean and New York, their indoor swimming pools, their maids and cooks and house managers and agents.
Let’s be honest, if we had the chance, almost all of us would like to live that way. The God who created everything and who actually owns everything in the whole world tells us to be careful about thinking that way. “What good does it do for people to win the whole world yet lose their lives?” (Mark 8:36).
When you have lots of money, you might start believing it is your money, not a gift from the God who provides everything you need. King David said, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10 NIV). This king, who had a whole bunch of servants and an entire army at his command said he would rather be a servant for God than have a mansion where evil was in charge. He would rather give away all his riches than walk away from God.
If a full bank account leads you away from Jesus, your life is actually poor. If being a celebrity surrounded by paparazzi leads you away from Jesus, it’s time to be a servant instead. When your whole goal is getting a huge house for your life on earth, you’ve forgotten that Jesus has prepared a heavenly mansion for you.
