In our society there is often great confusion concerning wealth and increased income. One definition of wealth states that wealth is, “an abundance of valuable resources or material.” This could be pretty broad range of things. You may not have one dollar to your name, but if you had a chest full of rare diamonds, you could still consider yourself wealthy. So then, wealth can become subjective to whatever you may deem “valuable.” When an individual is in the trenches of a Christian debt consolidation program some days can seem dark indeed. The level of financial sacrifice you are making may seem unbearable some days. You may even experience some level of ridicule or judgment from people who do not understand what you are doing or why you are doing it. There may be days when you feel poor indeed. This is when you must reevaluate the true meaning of wealth.

Now when you consider this in the light of the Christian’s life, you must consider what would be deemed “valuable” to Christ. This would be how to gauge whether or not you were truly wealthy. Psalms 49:6-7 gives us a little hint as to what Christians would hold valuable. “Those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them.”

Life in Christ

If you consider the life of Jesus himself as well as that of his followers, you will quickly see that it was a life of poverty. These men voluntarily spent their lives roaming from city to city, literally living on the charity of others. The Bible tells us that Jesus had nowhere even to “lay his head.” His life began in a barn and he died homeless. By current American standards this is not considered wealthy. This would not even be considered sane. And yet he possessed all things. Each of his disciples gave up their careers and for the most part their homes and families in order to follow Christ. Were these wise financial moves? Not by our modern definition, yet these men took over the world. It is not being suggested that you move out of your house or roam homeless to prove you trust God. However, the life of our Savior as well as his disciples should provide an example for us of how very unimportant money and possessions are in light of the big picture. That big picture is that we are on this earth to serve Christ, not to hoard money or possessions. If you have life in Christ you are already way ahead of the game.

Life in Health

The only people who really appreciate the blessing of good health are those who sadly do not have it. Health is one aspect of our lives that we give little thought to until it eludes us. Individuals who are consistently healthy take it for granted. In fact probably rarely does it cross their minds how fortunate they are. Chronically sick individuals, or terminally ill individuals understand, though, that everything about their lives was contingent on their health. Working, playing, spending time with family, being able to enjoy that time together. Even many venues of service to Christ is highly contingent on good health. If you are a healthy, relatively pain free individual, you have an immense treasure which many people on earth do not possess.

Life in Love

This is one aspect of wealth that makes all of the others seem worthwhile. A life full of love can change the perspective of any financial situation. A husband and wife could have bank accounts over flowing, but if there is constant strife between them, suspicion and doubt, their money brings very little peace to their family or existence. However, a poor, sweetly satisfied couple can bring each other decades of joy and pleasure even while sharing their poverty. And not just in the marriage relationship, but in any and all of our relationships. A life filled with love and people to love is wealth indeed. What these individuals can contribute to your life far exceeds your monthly bottom line of your budget.

If you have sought out Christian debt help, and you are doing the difficult work or revolutionizing your finances, take heart. Although you may feel poor most days, remember the measure of your true wealth, and take heart.