"“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets." Luke 6:24-26 (ESV)
The Scriptures seem to be clear about warning us of the dangers of having, and, of course, loving riches. With these warnings in mind, we need to look for the great danger that must be associated with wealth, comfort, and so on.
It seems obvious that God is not against blessings, yet His definition of blessing might be different than ours. It is obvious that money, the abundance of it, or the lack of it, is not a criterion for being blessed, yet it poses a real and present danger to those who have it.
Perhaps the key is found in the phrase “have received your consolation.” Perhaps those who find comfort, purpose, and status in money are the miserable ones, for riches were never meant to be loved; they were meant to be used.
There is a positive quality in those who cannot trust themselves that is hard to duplicate in those who have much in which they can trust. The wealthy would be wise to daily remind themselves of the many ways they are dependent upon God, and seek His purposes for their wealth. In that, they too will be blessed.
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