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UNCERTAIN RICHES
Do You Know The Meaning Of “Fiat” Money?
“As for the rich in this world, charge them not
to be proud and arrogant and contemptuous of others, nor
to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, Who richly and
ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment” 1 Tim.6:17
(Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
I have said it before and will doubtless say it again: those in the
My heart goes out to all those who find themselves out of
work and/or homeless and in no way do I mean to minimize their plight,
because only by the grace of God have the rest of us managed to avoid the same
situation! My sole intent is to emphasize how blessed we are and call attention
to the fact that such blessings can vanish in an instant. And the Lord said as
much in the following passage:
“Then He told them a parable, saying, The land of a
rich man was fertile and yielded plentifully. 17 And he considered and debated
within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together
my harvest. 18 And he said,
I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and
there I will store all my grain or produce and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you
have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat,
drink, and enjoy yourself merrily. 20 But God said to
him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your
soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be?
21 So it is
with the one who continues to lay up and hoard possessions for himself
and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares].” Luke
12:16-21 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
Financial experts continue to warn that the vast majority of people around us who are keeping their heads above water financially are doing so by “the skin of their teeth.” And any unexpected turn of events such as illness, injury, etc., can easily plunge them into bankruptcy and ruin. But what about those who are making good money and living comfortably? Or even the upper two or three percent who are filthy rich? Are they really safe and secure?
Let me put it this way, our monetary system is backed up with absolutely nothing but the promises of politicians. Our unit of currency, the dollar, is “fiat” money which means it was literally created “out of thin air” and has no intrinsic worth beyond the faith that it will be accepted as a medium of exchange. If that faith is ever lost, our economy will fall flat on its face in a very short amount of time and those who are depending upon their bank accounts, stocks, bonds, etc., will be rendered destitute. Some try to avoid that possibility by buying things which have intrinsic worth such as precious metals, diamonds, art, real estate, etc. in the hope that they can use them as money if all else fails. But if no standards of worth exist, the individual will have to resort to bartering and take their chances—at which time those riches will definitely become uncertain!
The point I am trying to make is that no one has any real security where the things of this world are concerned. That is why the Word of God tells believers that we must not trust in uncertain riches. The Rock upon which we stand is The Lord Jesus Christ, not the “almighty dollar.”
While there is nothing wrong with possessing material things, if we allow those things to possess us—they become idols and defeat us spiritually. If the Lord does not have the preeminence in our lives, no amount of money will bring the peace of heart and mind that all of us need. So does it really make sense to kill ourselves trying to “get ahead,” when in many cases we could actually do with much less?
“Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not,
they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in
the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe
you, O ye of little faith? 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of
the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these
things. 31 But
rather seek ye the
The first article I wrote for Cutting Edge was entitled “The
Best Kept Secret In The Bible” (www.cuttingedge.org/articles/p112.htm ) and in it I tried
to point out the principle that for a believer to receive, he/she must be
willing to give! Because proper stewardship recognizes the fact that everything
we “own” actually belongs to God and He is just allowing us to
use it. So for local churches to receive the funds necessary to carry out
the Lord’s “Great Commission” of preaching the Gospel to
every creature, individual believers will have to give. Then if they give
in faith with the right heart motive, they can expect to receive blessings
in return:
“Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe
and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use
when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to
you” Luke 6:38 (Amplified Bible).
Please note that I said blessings could be expected
in return and that does not necessarily mean riches! Some within Christendom still
err greatly by trying to claim promises made to Old Testament
Ours is a materialistic society and demonic forces are at work whipping the masses into a buying frenzy. We have become a nation obsessed with possessions and having more than the next guy. Even some current commercials on TV for “do it yourself” stores are about next door neighbors vying to see who can build the biggest deck and mow the lawn the fastest! And whoever owns the biggest and most expensive wide screen, high definition TV is the envy of the neighborhood. May God have mercy on us because our priorities are rapidly moving us toward ruin—both financially and spiritually.
So if you truly know Jesus Christ as personal Lord and
Savior, I beg you to wake up and back off! Seek the
If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.
If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.
We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.
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Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
P.O. Box 26
Gordo, AL 35466
You can also E-Mail Pastor Ronald Riffe regarding questions or comments about this article.
God bless you