The story of the rich man and Lazarus is a curious one, particularly in light of the perspective of many that hell is not a real place. You can’t spend a lot of time reading the bible only to conclude that Jesus didn’t believe in hell. The story he tells of Lazarus and the rich man is just one example of this, but it also highlights something incredibly important: wealth has just as much to do with getting into heaven as a lack of wealth does. Lazarus was a poor man who had no possessions or power on earth. What he lacked in finance, though, he made up in faith. The rich man, on the other hand, was full of finance and power but devoid of faith. His security and his worship was in his money, and his death brought with it torment in hell. Lazarus, on the other hand, found paradise in death because in life he had faith. After death, what truly mattered was what had happened in life. And once bodily life was gone, the situation was immutable for both men. In the culture we live in, it’s incredibly hard not to put our faith in our finances. But Jesus never told us store up our treasures on earth. In fact, he said to do the opposite. If your fear of financial insecurity has ever stopped you from giving what God put on your heart to give, then you’re trusting in your money. Do you think it’s possible to out-give God? Would you be willing to try?
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