From Riches to Rags

Michelle and I have spoken with several business people over the past few weeks who have been extremely wealthy, and in one case the economy and the other two cases not due to the economy, have lost all or most of it. 

One story was a gentleman who had 1.8 million that he expected to grow to 10 million because of the company going public, yet lost it all in a single day.

Another gentleman shared how he had Rolls Royce's and a home in Naples, but over the past several years has lost these things and a large amount of his net worth.

Another person went from making several hundred thousand a month to working a job for $11 an hour.

In each of these cases, they reversed the proverbial phrase and went from "riches to rags."

But the interesting thing to me was that in each of these cases, each of these individuals shared with us on separate occasions how much God has used this massive loss to reveal eternity to them.  Where they were once dry and weak in faith they are now zealous.  Where they were once selfish and stingy financially, they are now overwhelmed with desire to give to God's work around the world and to help the poor.  Jesus taught this in Matthew 13:22, when he said "the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it (the Word of God in the lives of hearers) making it unfruitful."  As one of the above gentleman mentioned to us, many today across America are getting into the Word of God, studying and reading it, but it is unfruitful in their lives.  The two culprits mentioned by Jesus above are a big part of the problem.  Thankfully, the deceitfulness of wealth is being exposed today across the country.

What an amazing work God does.  He turns "riches to rags" stories into eternal treasure.