Money. Heavy topic
The topic of money is a difficult topic. Although they are no longer just metal, but more often paper, or even a virtual something that acts in the world through a card, the heaviness has not decreased.
When the Spirit breathes, the rottenness burns up and the rags crumble. A man lived with sin in half and with iniquity in his arms and thought that everything could be bought. And in order to buy everything, all he did was collect and accumulate. Then, if he turned to God and felt that there is another life, what will happen to what has been collected and accumulated? Who knows: anything can happen. But it often happens that what is poorly assembled crumbles into dust and burns like garbage. This is a special blessing from God, which is difficult to understand and difficult to accept. But they burn clothes that are infected with the plague or have lice. How can God keep near you, on you and with you everything into which sin has been absorbed by a microbe?
I came to God, and my business began to burst at the seams.
And I came to God, and half of the projects were covered with a copper basin.
And I... I also started to get sick.
And among the Gadarene residents, all their pigs threw themselves into the sea from a cliff.
And it wasn’t just the Gadarene pigs that disappeared. Everywhere where the apostolic sermon burst like thunder over people's heads, a change in economic activity began and losses began for those who earned money by sin.
Here Paul in Philippi cast out a demon from a certain maidservant-soothsayer. And what happened after that? Here's what. “Then her masters, seeing that their hope of income had disappeared, seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the rulers” (Acts 16:19). “The hope of income disappeared,” and “the commanders, tearing off their (the apostles’) clothes, ordered them to be beaten with sticks and, having given them many blows, threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep a tight watch on them” (Acts 16:22).
The apostles spoke, the demons fell silent, and immediately those who had income from demonic activities began to scream. At the same time, not every economic activity, but only the one that is involved in sin. After all, a little earlier in the same chapter it is written about one of the first women who believed according to the word of Paul. “There was a woman from the city of Thyatira, named Lydia, who sold purple. reverent of God, listened; and the Lord opened her heart to listen to what Paul said. When she and her household were baptized, she besought us, saying, “If you have judged me faithful to the Lord, then come into my house and live with me” (Acts 16:14-15). Obviously, she was a good merchant who knew how to conduct business and did not ruin her conscience.
You can continue to look for examples for the benefit of the soul and the integrity of the picture. In Ephesus, after the apostolic sermon, “quite a few of those who practiced sorcery, having collected their books, burned them in front of everyone, and added up their prices, and they turned out to be fifty thousand drachmas. With such power the word of the Lord grew and became powerful” (Acts 19:19). In metal equivalent, the amount is equal to several centners of silver. And those books are not modern books. Considering the high cost of the material and the handwriting, they were a true treasure. So today we have nothing to compare with the unprecedented determination of the Ephesians to part with the carriers of sinful information. Comes new life, and old concepts die, and with them the usual income dies. Of course, not everyone likes this.
“At that time there was a considerable rebellion against the path of the Lord, for a certain silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver temples of Artemis and brought considerable profit to the artists, having gathered them and other similar artisans, said: friends! you know that our well-being depends on this craft; Meanwhile, you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul, with his convictions, seduced a considerable number of people, saying that those made by human hands are not gods” (Acts 19:23-26).
This passage suggests that the enemies of preaching will always be those whose profit depends on practices contrary to the Gospel. Among them there may also be people who accept faith and change their lives. But the majority will still adhere to familiar customs. The owners of establishments and gambling houses, drug dealers or human goods dealers here will be more dangerous than any dealer in idols. This is where lies not old paganism, but genuine Satanism. And if they seriously cross the road, they will quickly find simple and effective means stay with their profits and get rid of uninvited reformers.
Obviously, by radically changing people's ideas about life, the apostles painfully hurt both the souls and wallets of many. They, the apostles, really had to be like sheep among wolves. It is not surprising that in our age, with mass sinful relaxation and weakness of will, the fight against the industry of sin is going so poorly or even not at all.
The apostles had to guard their spiritual freedom like the apple of their eye. And it was not imprisonment that threatened this freedom. They went to prisons and were often led out of prisons by Angels. They could be forced to lose their freedom by gifts, bribes, the habit of honor, flattery received from nobles, and so on. Therefore, Paul said, saying goodbye, to the elders of Ephesus: “I did not covet silver, nor gold, nor clothing from anyone: you yourselves know that these hands have served my needs and the needs of those who were with me” (Acts 20:33-34) . The apostles had the right to take from the Church everything that was offered to them and use it for their own and the common benefit. But they did not have the right to desire and ask, much less demand from the communities something material for themselves. Dali - thank God! No - thank God too! And in the same spirit, the “Teaching of the Twelve Apostles” speaks about this: “If (an apostle or prophet) demands money, then he is a false prophet” (Chapter 11).
You can sell or buy something that is being produced, being done, being produced. And what was received as a gift and has no monetary equivalent should not be sold. A candle is a commodity, and it has a price. And prayer is the breath of the Spirit. She is priceless. Putting a price tag on prayer is a sin against the Spirit who gives birth to prayer. And just as the madness of Judas gave birth to the deal: “I am Lord to you, and you are silver to me,” so the shamelessness of the false prophets seeks to buy the Spirit for a penalty. Here Simon (a former sorcerer), “seeing that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the hands of the Apostles, brought them money, saying: Give me this power, so that whoever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:19 ). From there the term “simony” was born, i.e. buying and selling that which is above any price. And “Peter said to him: Let your silver perish with you, because you thought to receive the gift of God with money. You have no part or lot in this, for your heart is not right with God” (Acts 8:21-22).
But just as the hanged Judas swings over the world, casting a shadow on the earth, so Simon goes on and on next to the Church throughout history and offers coins to receive the Comforter.
Money relations are the core of life for fallen humanity. In the presence of higher values, money takes its important, but not absolute place. If there is no higher plane of existence, then money wants to dress in a magnificent outfit with the inscription “Holy of Holies” and turns into an idol: a golden calf or a silver toad. Obviously, the apostles, changing the world and spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, changed the entire rotten way of life, not excluding the monetary side of the issue. They did not write new laws, but they changed the very attitude of people towards themselves, towards life and towards everything at hand. We have rolled back far in this matter from the joyful original novelty. In some places we simply capitulated. Moreover, not now, but a very long time ago. We are all Christians. The spirit of everyday materialism has grounded and hardened us. All goods, along with surplus value, contain the false idea of the omnipotence of the economy and the eternal progress of commodity production. But this progress is not eternal and the economy is not at all omnipotent. We learn about this when the Spirit breathes and causes rottenness to burn away and rags to crumble.
Vitaly writes: “Without money, you will lie old and sick in our poor hospital.” I remembered one story about a gardener who gave away everything he earned to the poor, sick and other needy people. And so the evil one inspired him with this thought: why are you giving everything away, think about yourself, save for a rainy day, what if you get sick, one day you get old, and you don’t have money for anything. Since then, alms have stopped, all the money was saved for a rainy day. And that day came, the gardener got sick. Illness was serious, medications did not help, money was wasted on doctors. One day the doctor said that his legs needed to be amputated, the operation was scheduled for the next day. All night the unfortunate man prayed and repented, and then an Angel of God appeared to him saying: “You trusted in money, not on God, so what, did the money help you, did it heal you? Did you really need anything, did you give alms, were you sick?” The gardener repented, promising never to save money again, and in the morning, the doctor came to operate, saw him completely healthy.
Thank you for the article! It is necessary to raise such topics and seek answers based on Holy Scripture. Such publications help to develop right attitude to material wealth. Treat money as a means, not as an end.
Very timely, Father Andrey. By holding on to money, we are grasping for air and are deprived of True support. Without touching it, the Lord showed us that money is not a thing of the Kingdom of God. And having achieved its absolute power, money will disappear before His Glory. Already now the Lord is looking to see whether we love our neighbor as ourselves. And let us love the Lord our Creator above all else.
If you carefully re-read the Scripture, it becomes obvious that the attitude of believers towards material wealth (in particular, money) should be negative. Indeed, neither God nor the immortal soul needs money. Money is a constant source of temptation, it leads to sins and in general is often an instrument of evil. That is, the church should in every possible way welcome a society in which money either plays minor role, or are absent altogether. The Russian people do not have a cult of money; American or Israeli values are alien to them.
Arises interesting question. Why does the Orthodox Church gain strength in Russia precisely in those periods when society falls into extremes of worship of the golden calf? Many new Russian businessmen are believers. Church rituals are also not free and the church is not at all a profit-free organization; it owns real estate and material assets that significantly exceed the needs of its normal functioning. The Church quietly finances various projects that I would not call purely spiritual. It is widely known what a special position Orthodoxy gave to the rich and noble in Tsarist Russia. Look at the fairy tales of ordinary Russian people: the priest is always cunning, selfish and greedy. Apparently, there is a considerable amount of truth in these tales.
There are, of course, elders without silver and selfless missionaries, but do they make a difference? By the way, in many countries this is the situation: declared yourself a believer - pay church tax (fortunately, anyone and everyone does not pay it). If we say that there is an official church (where money is welcomed) and, in fact, faith (where money is not needed), any sane person will say that in one case we are talking about an “apparatus”, and in the other we mean an idea. Therefore, in an ideal situation, a believer should exist with faith in God, but outside the church, since the church itself is engaged in what, to put it mildly, is not entirely pleasing to God. So what should we do?
You can be completely free from all problems only by “dwelling entirely in the fullness of the Holy Spirit,” as St. Seraphim of Sarov. How many people like this have you met?
So, after all, the Teaching of Christ is not about the material, but about the spiritual. It also explains the material aspects, but they are not primary.
And the Lord says (Matthew 6:31): Therefore do not worry and say, “What shall we eat?” or what to drink? or what to wear? because the pagans seek all this, and because your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. Seek first of all the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you.
And (Matthew 19:29): And whoever leaves houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
Having read the second passage, at first I perceived this as a kind of exchange of the perishable for the spiritual. That is: I am a ruble to a beggar, and God is to me a hundred Heavenly money in Heaven. 🙂
The question arose: it looks a lot like a deal, and memory tells us that God does not make deals with people. Probably I misunderstand. Okay, so be it.
Then another question arose. If I gave away, say, all my pocket money and didn’t keep anything for myself, and suddenly at work I was unexpectedly given a bonus and my relatives at home gave me a shirt, does this mean that instead of Heavenly money God gave me material goods? That is, Heavenly ones are better. And what should you do: rejoice or be sad?
And I remembered that such promises (money in the evening, chairs in the morning, and in the afterlife) are made only by scammers on earth. Is God really like a swindler? No. Therefore, when he says “you will get a hundred houses instead of one,” he is talking about real houses. I just really don't need that many buildings.
My understanding of the topic: The Church is in no way bound by anything material, it existed in catacomb beggary and will exist forever, even if, by the Will of God, it has lost all its income. But we, who make up the Body of the Church, have no money, food, etc. There is no way we can exist. Like this: The Head is immaterial, and the Body is flesh. And I cannot say what it is, but it is clear that it is from God.
Most importantly, remember that God does not require people to make sacrifices to Himself. That is, when He says to a rich young man: sell your property and give the money to the poor, he is not saying this to you personally, but to that young man.
That is. All the property that you have, you yourself can clearly divide into that which you really need, and that which you have just so that it will be useful someday. And then you meet a person who tells you that he really needs something that you know that you yourself don’t really need. And that means in spiritual sense that the Spirit brought you together with this person precisely so that you could give him what God had previously given you to give to this person. Therefore, having given him this, you need to say, when you thank him: Thank not me, but God. And thereby you will show this person the mercy of God.
There is not enough space to tell you about everything that will be revealed to you through this experience. But you will also certainly be asked the question: why should I even earn money, strive for something? And there is a lot in this interesting point. Having consciously chosen poverty, a person stops striving for wealth, like everyone else, and sooner or later begins to see the difference between wealth and security.
Whether a person is rich or poor is a state that changes over time, and depends entirely on how much a person can at the moment spend. And security is a state that does not depend on time, and it lies in the fact that how much money he will have tomorrow depends only on the desire of the person himself. That is, being not under the power of money, but ruling over it.
“And Jesus sat opposite the treasury and watched as the people put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in a lot. Having arrived, one poor widow put in two mites, which is a coin. Calling His disciples, Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those who put into the treasury, for they all put in out of their abundance, but out of her poverty she put in all that she had, all her food” (Mark 12). :41-44). The story, which we will analyze in detail, will help us understand the principles of successful and wise management of finances. There is no more important topic in a person’s earthly life than the topic of money. Of course, all of us Christians will talk about the importance of love, service to God, compassion and patience and other Christian virtues, but the fact remains that we live in such a way that money is the most important point in life for us. Most wars, murders, hatred, and conflicts are for the sake of money. For the sake of money, people leave to earn money, leaving their families; for the sake of money, they change not only their city, but also their country. For the vast majority of the population of our planet, money is the meaning of life, and most of their time is devoted to earning it.
As a rule, for years of his life a person goes to a job he doesn’t like, only to receive a salary, that is, money. How does God look at money? What should a Christian's attitude towards money be? How to manage money correctly? Does our well-being depend on our management of money? What does tithing mean and how is it treated? These are the questions of our topic.
CHAPTER 1. GOD LOOKS AT HOW MAN SPENDS MONEY
“And Jesus sat opposite the treasury and watched as the people put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in a lot. And when a certain poor widow came, she put in two mites, which is a coin” (Mark 12:41) From the first quotation of the passage we are examining, we will immediately draw several obvious conclusions:
1. Christ was not afraid to talk about money. For some reason we are afraid. We are afraid in church, we are afraid to touch on this topic with non-Christian friends, but, in fact, why? Isn't this topic so important to us? No, we are afraid, because Orthodox dishonest propaganda has convinced people that Protestant Church They rip money off people. This is a complete lie! God speaks in the Bible about the most important things in a person's life: love, family, faith, hope and, of course, finances. And God speaks about this in order to teach how to act most wisely and correctly on this topic. Moreover, money, or rather the attitude towards it, says a lot about a person. One paraphrased saying can sound like this: “Tell me how you feel about money and where you spend it and I will tell you who you are and what is valuable to you.” Money shows the condition of the heart. Money shows a person's faith in God. Money shows how earthly a person lives. Managing money shows the degree of kindness, but also composure, organization, and also reveals a person’s values.
2. Christ watches the sacrifice. The Lord sits right in front of the box in which they sacrificed and looks intently, thereby demonstrating what is important to God.
- Christ looks at how much they sacrifice.
- Christ puts his assessment on how they sacrifice.
- Christ draws attention to to a greater extent, with what heart they sacrifice.
- And with what heart they sacrifice is expressed by the ratio of the amount to the profit. This, by the way, is the formula for determining the condition of the heart.
Why is God so interested in this topic? Suppose you gave your money to someone to use, will you be interested in how they manage your money? God is the owner of everything and everything that is on earth, by and large, belongs to Him. "Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord’s and what fills it, the universe and everything that lives in it.”
(Ps. 23:1) More specifically, money belongs to God: “And every tithe of the earth, of the seed of the earth and of the fruit of the tree, belongs to the Lord: it is holy to the Lord” (Lev. 27:30). What is this concept of tithe and where did it come from? We will talk about this now, but note that a believer begins with this thought, and this very thought will change our attitude towards what we have. In the process of reflection, I wrote down a point in my prayer notebook: “Lord, help me treat everything as Yours and teach me to properly and wisely dispose of Yours.”
CHAPTER 2. HOW FAITH INFLUENCES MANAGEMENT OF MONEY OR
WHERE DOES TITHE COME FROM?
The nephew of Abraham, the famous ancestor of the Jewish people, Lot was in the region where several kings went to war. Abraham went to free his nephew and won the battle. Melchizedek, to whom Abraham gave the tithe, comes out to meet him: “For Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, the one who met Abraham and blessed him returning after the defeat of the kings, to whom Abraham also divided the tithe from everything - firstly, according to the sign of the name the king of righteousness, and then the king of Salem, that is, the king of the world, without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither the beginning of days nor the end of life, being like the Son of God, remains a priest forever. See how great is he, to whom Abraham the patriarch gave tithes of the best of his spoils” (Heb. 7:1-4). Abraham gave him 10%, as it is said, of the best of his spoils. What made Abraham tithe? There are some important ideas here in this episode.
1) Abraham tithes even though no one commanded him to do so. He tithes as an expression of his honor and respect.
2) Abraham tithes because he met the king and saw in him a type of Christ. He felt it or understood it or God revealed it to him, we don’t know. But they don’t just give a tithe to someone who is himself a priest and a king, and therefore is not a poor person, which means that a tithe is a natural figure for a person’s material donation.
3) And most importantly. Abraham gave the tithe when he met the king. And then the question arises, why don’t Christians tithe? Because they did not meet the king, the king of the world? Or have they met the king, but do not give him royal honors?
By the way, it is interesting that another descendant Abraham, his grandson, also according to his inner disposition, without the law, gave tithes to God: “... and of all that You, O God, give me, I will give You a tenth” (Gen. 28:22) .
So how did tithing come about? God, based on how the best, pious representatives of ancient humanity felt and understood, sets such a percentage, although he could have offered 20 and 30%, still everything is God’s and God will take care of it. God, so to speak, condescended to man.
Christians often ask whether it is necessary to pay tithes, since we do not live in the period of Abraham or according to the Old Testament? Christ builds on the commandments of the Old Testament and raises the bar. All the commandments of the Old Testament speak about external correct actions - do not kill, do not steal. Christ raises the bar, speaking about the heart, about thoughts (Matt. 5.28). Therefore, Christ says that our Christian life should be higher than how we lived in the Old Testament, especially when compared with the purely external fulfillment of the law: “For, I tell you “If your righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, then you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20) The same applies to tithing. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you tithe mint, anise and caraway seeds, and have abandoned the most important things in the law: judgment, mercy and faith; This ought to be done, and this ought not to be forsaken” (Matt. 23:23).
But let’s return to our widow who donated two mites: “When she came, one poor widow gave two mites, which is a coin. Calling His disciples, Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who put into the treasury” (Mark 12:42,43). How did the widow, who put in, on the one hand, the smallest amount, on the other hand, give away everything she had, how did she manage to accomplish such a small feat of giving? What made her do this?
- The widow expressed her love for God. Let's not forget that this woman was raised in Jewish religious culture. She knew very well that she needed to give 10%. And yet, it gives much more. The widow knew that the one who sacrifices expresses his attitude towards God. The donor shows two most important points: 1) How I respect God; 2) How I trust God. “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (Prov. 3:9). The scale of the donation also shows the scale of what is valuable to us. For example, parents give an apartment to their children, a smaller gift to friends, and an even less valuable gift to acquaintances. And our gift also depends on what the person has done for us. And God saved us, so how can we express love for the one who gave us life and eternal salvation? The widow held this truth in her heart and therefore acted this way.
- The widow believed that God would reward her (trust in God). Of course, the widow had a thought: how could she continue to live, having lost her last money? The Bible encourages us to care for the things of God and to know that God will provide for us: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or what to drink? or what to wear? because the Gentiles seek all these things, and because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things” (Matt. 6:31,32). I have always wondered why believers are not as generous as they would like, as they should be? The second pastor and I somehow calculated how much percentage do people donate to the “Church of the Nativity” if, on average, everyone receives 1000 hryvnia? It turned out to be 4%. Taking 10% (tithe) of donations for 100% expression of love to God, it turns out that we honor God, on average in the church, by 40% and trust God by 40%. By the way, in the church all money is very scrupulously controlled, there is audit commission, which is elected by the entire church and checks where the money goes. And yet the degree of distrust in God is very high, not even reaching 50%.
- The widow was worried about God’s cause, so she donated to the temple. We will talk about this in more detail.
- The widow looked more to God, to heavenly things than to earthly things. “For we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
CHAPTER 3. WHY DO I HAVE SO MUCH MONEY?
I wonder if the amount of money I have depends on how I believe and how I give to God's cause? But before I answer, I would like to immediately say about the wealth of unbelievers. God is patient with them and gives them the opportunity to earn money, because He waits until the last minute for them to repent, because the rich also have an immortal soul and will answer to God for their lives. But Heavenly Father has a different relationship with Christians, children of God. God blesses those who bless Him and does not give to those who do not give to Him. “I will say this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). What does it mean to sow, what are we talking about? Just as a person sows seeds into the ground to get a harvest, so he sows into God’s work to get a harvest for the kingdom of God and, don’t be surprised, he sows for himself. Christ constantly speaks of blessing to those who give. And do you think God took care of the widow who gave everything? We recently bought a car and live in a 5-room apartment. Some people are wondering where the pastor's family got the money? There is a version that parents send money from abroad, or sponsors. All we have is in pure form God's blessings. They didn’t give bribes, they didn’t lie to the state, but Sundays didn't work. Christians from the West did not help, my parents did not help and have not helped me all my life. No matter how difficult it was, we sacrificed and tried to donate more than a tithe to God. At the same time, we had three small children. We were robbed twice, did not repay debts and were debtors ourselves, but nothing changed in God’s principles of our family - the material result was quite good - this, in its purest form, was God’s blessing. I want God’s blessing on our family to be an inspiration for all Christians, how generous God is when we remain faithful to Him.
One of the richest people on the planet was Rockefeller, and everyone knows about this, but not everyone knows that Rockefeller was a Baptist and paid 10% of profits monthly, which amounted to $100 million. His fortune is $318 billion, which makes him to this day the richest person on the planet. This immensely rich man had several principles that are useful for us to know, especially since he, as a believer, was blessed by God. He spent a lot on charity, was a modest man, and never responded to criticism or envious gossip. He carried his faith throughout his life and lived for 98 years.
WHY DOESN'T GOD BLESS?
God blesses only as much as we bless others. “I will say this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). So let's list the reason why God doesn't bless. WHAT BLOCKS OUR FAITH AND HOW DO WE BECOME BELIEVERS – TRUSTING GOD IN EVERYTHING? Some people live by the principle, I will give my life to God, but not my money.
- WE DO NOT TRUST DONATIONS TO THE CHURCH. Some Christians believe that if they could give their money into the hands of Christ, then they would donate, but we don’t trust the church. We don't know where this money will go. In this case, I have a question: did the widow who donated everything she had donate to the temple? How did they manage money in the temple? You have a 100% guarantee that the priests whom Christ constantly criticized acted correctly and honestly. The treasury was located in the temple. “And Jesus sat opposite the treasury and watched as the people put money into the treasury. Many rich people have put in a lot” (Mark 12:41). In the end, everyone is responsible for themselves. People prefer to give to someone else for good, but are you sure that those people will manage the money correctly? Both in the Old and New Testaments, Christians donated to the temple, to the church. “On the first day of the week let each of you put aside and save for himself as much as his fortune allows, so as not to make collections when I come” (1 Cor. 16:2) The collection of donations took place in the church.
- 2. I CAN'T SACRIFICE FROM MY SALARY, IT'S NOT ENOUGH MYSELF. Why are you sure that the widow had enough? Didn't she have the same thoughts as you? We are all the same people, all sinners. How do we perceive the Bible? We read, we believe and therefore we apply. For example, this verse: “My God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). “Therefore do not worry and say, “What shall we eat?” or what to drink? or what to wear? because the pagans are looking for all this, and because your Father in heaven knows that you need all this” (Matthew 6:31,32). Do you think that when our family donates, such thoughts do not come to us? Yes, they come to everyone, but only believers oppose them with the Bible, God’s truths, and those who do not oppose them do not trust God and do not turn to him.
- I FORGOT TO TAKE THE MONEY. I wonder where the widow got this money from? “When a certain poor widow came, she put in two mites, which is a coin” (Mark 12:42). This widow took two mites with her to the temple, which means she was preparing for this. It is difficult to forget what is important to us. If this is a serious service to God, and I remind you that we also serve God with money, then we will not forget. You must decide before God how you will manage your money. Think about what percentage, how much? There are people who receive money unsteadily, for example businessmen. This advice for those who do not receive money regularly is to get yourself an envelope for God and each time put a percentage in there for the church. We understand that the widow was preparing, because when a person gives everything he has, this is not done by the way.
- WE CANNOT SACRIFICE FROM TWO SALARY. We will donate from one salary, that’s how some families think. I thought about what would happen if God blessed half of this family and not the other half. It's like wearing a nice suit and torn shoes. We want God to bless the whole family, and for the whole family to be saved, but we donate only from one. The widow shows us how you can donate more than 10% and it’s okay, God continues to take care.
- I WILL DONATE THEN. The widow sacrifices what she has and gives it right away. Imagine, you are lying on the operating table and crying out, Lord, I really need your help now, and God answers you from heaven: “Yes, somehow later, right now I have no time. I am busy with those who donate to me right away.” We constantly need God's help and support. Even when our heart is beating and right now every beat is God’s support, but will God wait with donations?
- I HAVE AN UNBELIEVING HUSBAND, WIFE, PARENTS. You will not be responsible for the salary of your husband or parents, but what you receive is what you will use to acquire treasure for yourself.
We must understand the harsh truth that if everything, including money, belongs to God, this means that the one who does not sacrifice robs God: “Is it possible for a person to rob God? And you are robbing Me. You will say: “How are we robbing You?” Tithes and offerings” (Mal. 3:8).
HOW GOD BLESSES
1) Gives us kind heart The Holy Spirit, and we close it. “For they all cast in out of their abundance, but out of her poverty she put in all that she had, all her food” (Mark 12:44). God blesses those whom He marks as giving to Him and who He sees as having a dedicated heart. We have no doubt that the widow will be blessed by God and her heart will also be filled with spiritual wealth.
2) Develops faith in the giver: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and prove Me in this, says the Lord of hosts...” (Mal. 3:10)
3) Opens the windows of heaven. In other words, the giver, by his giving, opens the heavenly windows of God's blessings together with God: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me in this, says the Lord of hosts, whether I will not open for you the windows of heaven and Shall I not pour out blessings upon you until it overflows? (Mal.3:10). “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, shaken together, pressed, and running over, will be poured into your bosom; For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).
4) Protects those who sacrifice: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and try Me in this, says the Lord of hosts: Will I not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon you until there is abundance?11 For your sake I will rebuke the devourers from destroying the fruits of your earth, and the vine in your field will not lose its fruit, says the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 3:10,11).
FINAL THOUGHTS: God speaks directly about giving, with theologians saying that 25% of biblical texts are somehow related to money. Well, I hope everyone reading this article will draw the right conclusion for themselves and stop robbing God by listening to the devil’s whispers about how we won’t have enough money. A Christian who has dedicated his life to God will imitate Christ, who not only gave money, but gave his whole life for our salvation. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that through His poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
IF YOU ARE OWED TO GOD, REPENT. GOD FORGIVES EVERYTHING and LET'S START A NEW LIFE! Ask those who give what a joy it is to invest in God's work and lay up treasures for heaven, or better yet, try it yourself.
QUESTIONS: 1) Why is money so important to people? 2) Why is it so difficult to give to God (for some and sometimes)? 3) what made the widow give so generously? 4) What mistake do those who cannot give fully, fearing that they themselves do not have enough? 5) Where did the tithe come from? 6) Why is it okay for Christians to give more than their tithe? 7) How does God bless those who give (give a personal example)?
The problem of dividing people into rich and poor is as old as the world. It would seem that the Gospel directly states several times that the rich will not fare well in the next world. Jesus Christ himself taught people not to strive for earthly wealth: “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be zealous for one and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth)" and “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” So is it really necessary for all people to strive for poverty? But poverty doesn’t bring anything good to many people either. The gap between the haves and the have-nots gives rise to envy and hatred, leading to riots, pogroms, revolutions and wars. At the same time, the Church has always treated rich benefactors with warmth and respect. And history knows holy righteous people who were very wealthy people, and serious sinners who were driven mad by poverty...
Black envy
While building a mansion in a quiet village near Ivanovo, capital businessman Valery K. “found himself” with exorbitant expenses. Construction materials were constantly stolen by local residents. Having completed the construction, he fenced himself off from the people with a high fence and breathed a sigh of relief. But that was not the case! Soon he received a multi-thousand-dollar electricity bill. While solving this “phenomenon”, he discovered illegal tappings on his fence - local craftsmen connected to the under high voltage barbed wire, providing the village with “free” electricity.
An attempt to sue the thieves led to new problems. " Good people“They made a dig, stealing an electric generator and... a watchdog. Now the businessman is looking for someone to sell his hacienda to, but there are no takers yet...
But these are still “flowers” from the category of curious cases. For provincial barefoot and ordinary person someone of average income may seem “rich.” The main ulcer of many poor people is banal black envy. Especially to those with whom we once grew up and dug in the same dirt. “How is this so, he is rich and I am poor - where is the justice?!”Or as in Vysotsky’s famous song: “They don’t have money, but we don’t have enough for vodka!” Those who suffer especially from popular envy and hatred he is unlikely to be able to take revenge...
A native of the Novgorod region, Mikhail L. was a juvenile prisoner of a fascist concentration camp during the war. After his release, he returned to his homeland, studied, worked, and started a family. The German-based compensation fund for victims of Nazism paid the ex-prisoner the equivalent of three thousand euros. With them, Mikhail bought a good-quality house in the village of Rogozino, moving to his native village in his old age.
Alas, fellow countrymen saw in this fact a gross violation of the “principles of equality and justice.” Like, how can it be that during the occupation the whole village suffered, but only Mikhail was paid for his personal suffering! The lucky man was looked at askance, cursed and showered with threats. In the spring of 1997, his fellow countrymen completely set fire to his house - so that it would become “like everyone else.” A month later, L. died (his heart could not stand it) and his wife, leaving everything behind, went to live with the children in Sergiev Posad...
Several years ago, Russian families who had lived and worked in Latvia for a long time decided to return to Russia. With the assistance of the Pskov authorities, they built multi-family houses on their own. Some townspeople were incredibly infuriated by this fact: “We have been living here all our lives in “ruined” houses, and these “Latvians” managed to get money and built themselves brand new apartments! We came here in large numbers, so let them live in some temporary shelters! And why are the authorities helping them?!” In March 2003, the houses of the displaced were set on fire and they lost shelter over their heads. “Tramp justice” has triumphed...
And there are hundreds of such sad cases throughout the country. Having a hard time experiencing the successes of their neighbors, envious people again and again “restore justice” by sending people around the world and taking a grave sin upon their souls.
In former times, the Russian people were considered hospitable and warm-hearted, able to endure hardships with dignity and rejoice in the well-being of their neighbors and the Motherland. But apparently, the souls of many people have mutated. Modern “biomass” prefers equality in poverty and brutally punishes “upstarts”.
It's all sad! - this is how my friend priest Father Alexander commented on the situation. - I am very sorry not only for those who suffered, but also for the arsonists themselves. All the light put into them by God could not manifest itself and was suppressed by elementary envy. And envy is one of the gravest sins that destroys the soul and closes our path to Eternal Life...
BUnity must be overcome!
At the Eleventh World Russian People's Council, the Orthodox clergy, together with representatives of other religions, officials and politicians, discussed the problems of wealth and poverty in Russia. Everyone came to the unanimous opinion that the main wealth of our country is, first of all, people capable of work, creativity and the creation of the Fatherland. And Russia is rapidly losing them. People are drinking themselves to death and dying out; many young talented individuals are leaving the country in search of a better life. It is necessary to take care of people and educate them in the best spiritual traditions!
- Neither wealth nor poverty in themselves is either a sin or a virtue, - said Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. - Everything depends on a person’s aspirations, on what fills him inner world. We are grateful to those rich people who help the Church build churches, create almshouses and orphanages. But every day we meet people living below the poverty line, and their pain is our pain. We must not forget that not only wealth, but also poverty can become a strong temptation, embitter and plunge a person into despair, and even push him onto the path of crime! That is why overcoming poverty is our task... It is sad that in Russia people receive many times less for selfless work than in other countries, and pensioners who honestly worked for the good of the country are sometimes deprived of the most necessary things. Poverty coexists with flashy luxury. To eradicate poverty, it is necessary to build an ethically oriented economy and debug a system of social responsibility... Wealth should be the result of creative work, and work is a duty to God and people. Only under this condition is the natural desire for material wealth balanced by the influence of spiritual and moral principles...
At the same time, Metropolitan Kirill (who has now become Patriarch) expressed sincere indignation: why in a country with the richest natural resources and the intellectual potential of Russia, in contrast to other countries, such a blatantly low standard of living and one of the highest gaps in the world between rich and poor?! He called on the authorities to direct part of the Stabilization Fund to overcome poverty, and at the same time, actively stimulate the development of innovative technologies and infrastructure.
The correct management of wealth has always been considered in Rus' an art and a gift from God, says Metropolitan Kirill. “It’s a shame in front of the whole world when rich people in Russia spend huge amounts of money on dubious entertainment in front of everyone, while in their homeland people receive meager salaries. And then they also have the audacity to justify their wastefulness to the people using television...
Divinely, we must share! - Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin echoes the Orthodox hierarchs. - And if someone doesn’t give it back, you have to take it with your guts... If the Almighty gives wealth to someone, this means that God chose him as his “supply manager”, and it is necessary to justify the honor shown good deeds…
Wealth and soul salvation
The gospel dialogue between Christ and the rich young man, the Savior’s call to give away wealth and follow it, and His words that it is difficult for a rich man to save his soul ( Matt. Chapter 19; 16-26) confuses many. Is Christ really against all rich wealthy people, and wants everyone to become poor? Of course not! The Savior simply invites all of us not to become attached to earthly wealth and not to see property as the source of our being and dignity. After all, He gives us not only everything necessary for earthly life, but also much more, something that exceeds any earthly wealth - bliss in Eternal Life.
In Jerusalem there was a narrow gate, popularly called the “Ears of the Needle.” A loaded camel could only get through them by crawling on its knees.The words spoken by Jesus to the disciples after the young man’s departure are full of sorrow. The Savior grieves that earthly wealth blocks Sky people, binds to the mortal, drowns in the empty vanity of the world . If you think about it, even for people of moderate income, their small wealth can obscure Heaven from them no less than the capital of millionaires. If a person is not morally ready, if necessary, to part with the possession of property, to find freedom in Christ and follow Him, then he is a slave to his wealth.“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break through and steal, for where your treasure is, there and your heart will be” - this is the basis and meaning of Christian life.
There are a great many pitfalls on the path of a rich Christian, and he bears responsibility for the people who depend on him.Satiety and satiety often take away faith and the feeling of the presence of God from the heart, prayer goes poorly, overcome by temptations. But Christ’s words about the impossibility of serving God and mammon do not at all mean that wealth and the salvation of the soul are incompatible.
The Kingdom of God is open to anyone who is alien to the cult of money-grubbing and who is not enslaved by what they have. If a person is not attached to money and directs it not for self-gratification, but for goodness and mercy, he is following the right path. It is useful to remember that everything we have is given to us by God only as a “steward”, so that we use it correctly and with dignity. Using wealth for the benefit of people, we remain in the love and light of God, and receive good fruits.
Many warnings and advice can be found in the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church. Saint Basil the Great calls on all people not to exceed the limits of moderation and to remember that covetousness (thirst for profit, stinginess, etc.) is the grave sin of idolatry. Saint Seraphim of Sarov criticizes people's desires to acquire money and rewards, advising them to acquire a different capital, gracious and eternal - the acquisition of the Spirit of God. It can only be obtained by good deeds for Christ’s sake, eradication of one’s shortcomings and a life of prayer.
“Just as wealth does not elevate a person, so poverty does not humiliate him,” writes the great theologian of the 20th century, St. Nicholas of Serbia. - Whoever thinks otherwise lives not in the Christian faith, but in ancient polytheism, in which a person was valued by the price of his gold. That is why Christ deigned to be crucified on Calvary in order to destroy this barbaric standard of people and give a new, spiritual, moral one. According to the standard of Christ, that which constitutes the value of a person is not increased by wealth and not diminished by poverty... The Orthodox know that the unrighteous does not succeed at the expense of his intelligence or strength, but only because our Lord is unspeakably merciful and allows him to succeed so that he will remember God, I was ashamed of my unrighteous deeds and corrected myself. The Creator waits for the lost one to return to the right path. His wisdom is unparalleled and His mercy unsurpassed..."
There are no sinless people (the saints also recognized themselves as sinners, seeing and eradicating even the slightest negative manifestations), and God sends sorrows to many of us to cleanse the soul from vices and passions. However, the Lord can call people to Himself through joy and earthly abundance. If the rich man remains blind and deaf to spiritual life, then his earthly prosperity will deprive him of his chances of justification for life. Last Judgment, while the poor sinner can still count on God's condescension.
Which means salvation human soul depends not so much on the standard of living, but on the ability of each person to love his neighbors and overcome any temptations.
So differentrich
A recent online survey on the topic “ Does Russia need rich people? Only 15% of respondents said “No!”. 48% agree that there should be rich, if they are not thieves and care about the poor. And 37% believed that a person’s moral character does not depend on the amount of money.
History knows many positive examples of the lives of rich people - believing Russian industrialists and entrepreneurs. The fate of the merchant Vasily Muravyov can serve as an unsurpassed role model. WITH early childhood Working in the lowest positions, the honest, purposeful young man eventually opened his own business and in just a few years became the largest fur trader in St. Petersburg. His enterprise was famous not only in Russia, but also in many European capitals. Despite his huge income, Vasily was indifferent to money and luxury, and donated most of his capital to the Church and poor people. On holidays, many tables were set in his hospitable house, crowds of the poor came from the street, who were fed, given money, things and food.
After the revolution, the merchant Muravyov closed his business, generously paid all his workers and donated his capital to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and other monasteries. Having long dreamed of becoming a monk, he was finally able to fulfill his cherished desire. IN years of open persecution of the Church, he became the confessor of the largest monastic monastery in Russia and the great holy elder - father Seraphim Vyritsky. Through his prayers, people were healed spiritually and physically, and the prophecies of Fr. Seraphim came true and are still coming true...
The prosperity of unbelievers is short-lived and illusory. With all external attractiveness, rich life is often sad and hopeless.
One of my acquaintances, who jokingly called himself a “corrupt journalist,” made money by commissioning materials for newspapers. This job paid well. To put it bluntly, he did not deny himself anything. He changed cars and lovers, was part of the high society crowd, traveled regularly, in a word, led the life that many people dream of. But only those closest to him knew how bad this “darling of fate” was in his soul. He himself said that “I want to fall asleep and not wake up.” By some miracle he came up with the idea of visiting the temple. What happened next was something like drug withdrawal: he changed his job to a much lower paid one, although he refused high level life is perhaps the most difficult thing in the world. He became Orthodox. The nightmares and morning sickness have disappeared. He began to have a peaceful, meaningful life. He had to give up everything that contradicted the laws of a clear conscience. This affected his financial condition and popularity, but he does not regret anything.
One ancient sage said: “Do not call a single person happy until you see the end of him.” The biblical parable of Saint Job the Long-Suffering reminds us that even a righteous person can lose all his earthly wealth in one day, but faith and prayers will save him from despair and lead him to even greater holiness. A sinner who is far from God risks losing everything, including his immortal soul.
Having lost their wealth, many commit suicide, drink themselves to death, and live out their lives in pain and sadness. And successful millionaires who live to old age don’t have a very sweet time. It’s hard to realize that life is slipping through your fingers like sand, there’s a frightening unknown ahead, and you can’t take your wealth to the grave...
True freedom
In the late 90s, businessman Ivan T. went completely bankrupt. The apartment, dacha and cars had to be sold to pay off debts. The remaining money was enough to buy a house in a Tver village. The former businessman became a simple worker. He has his own farm and a happy Orthodox family. He works shifts as a security guard at an enterprise in the regional center, his wife teaches at a local school. They live modestly, but their children are well-fed, shod, dressed and free from the bustle and temptations of the capital. Ivan considers himself happy man and has no regrets about his past life. According to him, wealth, for all its apparent freedom, is actually very binding and hinders spiritual growth. Only now has he found true freedom - freedom of spirit and conscience, and the opportunity to be himself to the end...
And friendly large family Kuznetsov from Shchelkovo near Moscow did not initially strive for wealth. The spouses live trusting in God - that He will always help them at any moment in their lives. Their motto is “Glory to God for everything!” And indeed, despite the rather modest earnings of the head of the family, one cannot dare to call them poor or beggars. They have many friends who help in difficult times. The Kuznetsov children are kind, obedient and hardworking. You can be sure that this good family no crises or everyday storms are scary.
Unfortunately, more often we come across families that are “crazed” by poverty. And in the literal sense. They live by envy and hatred and are only concerned that no one in the neighborhood lives happier than them. And there is no need to say that only circumstances are to blame for this.
Who to pray to
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker has long been known as the patron saint of all good, poor and rich people. Orthodox Christians also pray to his contemporary, Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, whose right hand was recently brought to Russia for a month from the Greek island of Corfu. Saint Spyridon is revered by believers as the patron saint of the homeless, sick and poor. He also helps those who honestly and conscientiously engage in trade and financial activities. They are also patronized by those who lived in XIV century great martyr John Sochavsky, during his lifetime formerly a godly merchant. Many Orthodox businessmen pray to the holy parents of Sergius of Radonezh Kirill and Maria, and of course, to the 20th century saint Seraphim Vyritsky mentioned above.
Another patron of the poor is the 3rd century saint Tatiana (she is held in high esteem by students) and the most famous sister mercy, Grand Duchess Venerable Martyr Elisaveta Feodorovna.
It is enough to simply regularly pray to God with the prayer that Christ Himself gave to people - “Our Father.” Her words “Give us this day our daily bread…” contain a request to the Heavenly Father to give us everything we need for today. God himself knows what we need for earthly life and the salvation of the soul, and we can only accept in peace everything that he gives us. The main thing is to try not to envy anyone and use your poverty, prosperity or wealth for good deeds and spiritual improvement.
— Your Eminence, the topic of wealth and poverty has always worried humanity. If the first in the worldly understanding gives a feeling of a certain freedom, then the second is perceived as a kind of powerlessness. How does the Church relate to wealth?
— First, let’s turn to the Word of God. When the Lord created man, He simultaneously gave him the commandment to cultivate and protect the Garden of Eden. That is, work is an integral part of our life. Working and enjoying the fruits of our labor, taking care of our comfort is natural for us. In the prayer that Jesus Christ gave to His apostles and followers, we directly address the Heavenly Father: “Give us this day our daily bread.” And at the same time, the Lord commands us not to limit ourselves only to earthly things. On the pages of the Gospel He says: seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). After all earthly life passes, but man was created for eternity. As Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, said, God called us from non-existence, so that through being we would acquire well-being. While caring about earthly things, we must not forget about heavenly things.
— Quite often they say that wealth is a blessing from God, and poverty is a punishment and even a curse. Do you agree with this opinion?
“When considering this issue, we should not become like Protestants. Some of them, for example Calvinists, claim this: they say that external well-being is a sign that a person is saved. Let's say John Calvin was an adherent of the doctrine of the unconditional predestination of God. According to this idea, God, even before the creation of the world, predestined some to salvation, and others to eternal destruction: nothing depends on man, he cannot change this divine blessing. And it is natural that among Calvinists the question arose: how to determine whether you are saved or doomed to eternal destruction? As a result, this sign of “salvation” appeared: external well-being, material wealth show that the Lord loved you, and you are among the saved. Of course, it is impossible for us Orthodox to agree with this, because in this case the saints would be the richest people. In this regard, I would like to bring biblical story about the long-suffering Job. He was the most righteous man in that distant time, but all kinds of troubles befell him. And even his friends condemned him: they said that Job had probably committed some terrible sin and did not want to repent of it, which is why the Lord was punishing him. In fact, through punishments the Lord demonstrated Job's righteousness. This happens in our lives: various adversities, including material ones, can be sent by God in order to strengthen our character and confirm us in virtue.
— Sometimes it seems to us that there is always a certain injustice in the initial distribution of goods: someone was born in a rich family or a highly developed country, someone, on the contrary, was born in a poor family and an underdeveloped country. Why is this inequality given? What is meant by Divine Providence in in this case?
— Saint Philaret (Drozdov) in his catechism gives a very clear and succinct definition. He says that the Providence of God is the unceasing actions of the omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God, by which the life and strength of creation are preserved. Even if a person deviates from good by committing evil, the Lord is able to correct this. And as a result, it still turns out that life is directed towards good goals. We believe that the Providence of God, the wisdom of God are always present in our lives, in human history. And therefore we are born then and in those conditions that are most conducive to our good fate in eternal life, our salvation.
— It turns out that the Lord, sending wealth to people, assumes: distribute it yourself; rich, share with the poor and thus achieve salvation?
— Many people are haunted by church riches. Some say that the gilding on the domes is unnecessary. Sometimes they manipulate certain figures: they say, instead of the cathedral, two orphanages could be built. How to react to such attacks?
— Most often, such questions are asked by those who have not donated a penny to the temple or to the needy, but are good at counting other people’s money. The New Testament describes a similar example. Thus, the Gospel of John tells how Mary anointed the Lord’s feet with precious ointment. Then Judas Iscariot was indignant: why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor? He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief (John 12: 5-6). In response to this undeserved reproach, Jesus, in particular, said: You always have the poor with you, but not always Me (John 12:8).
As history shows, temples were most often built not during periods of public prosperity, but during periods of disaster or as a sign of gratitude for overcoming these disasters. The church people sought to decorate the temples because they are a reflection of the heavenly paradise. In human perception, heaven is something beautiful that is beyond our everyday life. That is why temples were always lavishly decorated. But, on the other hand, everyone who gives a donation to the temple must remember: there are people nearby who have nothing to eat or cannot buy medicine for. A true believer, giving a sacrifice to the temple, will not forget the person in need of his alms. We must remember the Gospel words about the Last Judgment: the Lord will judge us by how we treated those in need.
We should not forget that during times of disaster and famine, the Church always not only helped with funds and food, but also used even its sacred objects to feed the needy by selling them.
— In this regard, I would like to touch on another topic that is so beloved by many media: about the supposedly luxurious life of priests driving around in expensive cars. How to deal with such reproaches?
— In most cases, this topic is far-fetched. I'm speaking from personal experience. Carrying out my episcopal duties, I often visit various dioceses. One has to serve not only in large and rich cathedrals, but also in poor rural parishes. Many priests, especially rural ones, are forced to survive on their own households. Therefore, it cannot be said that all priests are wealthy people. To be fair, it should be noted: the city priest, often communicating with rich people, tries, willy-nilly, to imitate their lifestyle. But with such external luxury, with his own hands he erects an artificial barrier between himself and his flock. After all, a pastor’s sermon is strong not in words, but in actions and lifestyle. If the priest’s family does not live according to the principles of the Gospel, then no matter how beautiful words he speaks, instead of spiritual benefit, great harm will result. Therefore, we, bishops, always encourage priests to fight the temptation associated with the desire for luxury.
— Vladyka, what do you think: wealth definitely spoils a person?
- Wealth in itself is neither absolutely bad nor absolutely good. It all depends on how a person treats it, how he uses it. At the same time, wealth is a great test for a person, because it opens up many opportunities for him. And these opportunities are always tinged with trials and temptations, and not everyone is able to overcome them. Unfortunately, we very often fall under the burden of the opportunities that wealth gives us. That is why the Lord said that it is very difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The disciples asked: “Who can be saved?” And Christ spoke amazing words that apply to everyone, both rich and poor: this is impossible for man, but with God everything is possible.
Thus, all trials, including temptations associated with wealth, can only be overcome by the power of God. If wealth is given to us, then we should make the most of it to help our neighbors. This is especially true in our troubled times, when there are a lot of disasters due to the difficult situation in eastern Ukraine; when many wounded soldiers are in hospitals; when many people became refugees and were left homeless. They are in dire need of our help and mercy. Therefore, today a rich person has a wide range of opportunities for charitable activities. Whoever acquires such friends - intercessors before God - acquires true wealth. The Lord Himself tells us about this: sell your possessions and give alms. Prepare for yourselves never-fading treasures, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Luke 12:33-34).