True riches are found in Jesus. But it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that true riches are all about the accumulation of wealth and power. Have you found yourself there? If you have, you are not alone. The good news is that the Lord wants to reveal to you what true riches are. Perhaps He has done that already and He is reminding you to give thanks for revealing the truth.
For many years I worked at large corporation. The President of our division had expression about “dipping from the big bucket.” The “big bucket” was the well-paid position right above where he was. When he had achieved that, he found it was not all that he thought it would be.
The world continually tells us that the real treasure in life is just the next step beyond where we are. But when we find ourselves at that step, there will be another step. . When I got out of graduate school, I bought into all the worldly ideas of success. But ten years later I found out that was just a lie. How could I have been so deceived? I felt I had just wasted a good part of my life in the pursuit of an empty bag.
The Lord Will Restore Us as Turn to Him
The Old Testament prophet Joel talks about the people of God turning back to the Lord in repentance. When we live life apart from Jesus, we lose the fulness of life. Repentance brings the blessing of restoration by the Lord.
Joel 2:25 The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. [1] The world tells us to pursue worldly riches, and in the end, they are figuratively eaten by locusts.
Zacchaeus Found True Riches
Zacchaeus thought true wealth was making money and pursued the life of a tax collector. Luke 19:1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich.
When Zacchaeus became a person of faith, his physical wealth was no longer important. Because his heart and priorities had changed, he restored what he had stolen. Luke 19:8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” [2]
Zacchaeus discovered that true wealth was having a relationship with his Savior Jesus. What about you? It is never too late in this lifetime to place our faith in Jesus, or to take another step along the path of faith. Be blessed as the Lord leads you to true riches.
To hear how true riches are found in Jesus, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/seeking-the-lord-changes-my-life-zacchaeus
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.