When Jack Whittaker won the Powerball lottery prize jackpot of over $314 million on Christmas day 2002, it was at the time the largest prize won by a single winner in US history. Whittaker was already a successful businessman, but the sudden windfall proved to be anything but a blessing for his family.

Over the next decade, both his granddaughter and her boyfriend died from apparent drug overdoses, his daughter passed away, he was robbed on more than one occasion, arrested for driving under the influence, and he has been sued by a number of people and businesses, including a Caesar’s Atlantic Casino for $1.5 million in bounced checks to cover gambling losses. *

Two brothers were arguing over an inheritance.  One of them asked Jesus to settle the dispute.  Jesus told him that He had not come to this world for such a purpose.  Then Jesus addressed the source of their dispute: “He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses’” (Luke 12:15).

Eugene Peterson included this paraphrase of Jesus’ words in The Message: “Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

True riches are not determined by dollar signs.

Joe Barnett recently revealed some of the reasons why a Christian is truly wealthy, yet this wealth is not recognized by the world’s standards.  Barnett wrote: “So, how is your wealth measured? Well, here’s what you have:

• A God who loves you (see Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:9-10),

• The Holy Spirit who is within you (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20),

• Jesus in heaven who is interceding for you (see Hebrews 7:25),

• And heaven that is awaiting you (see John 14:1-3; 1 Peter 1:3-5). **

These are true riches.

Our sin disqualifies us from receiving God’s inheritance of these spiritual blessings.  But God loves us so much that He gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins so that we can receive forgiveness of our sins and inherit all of the spiritual blessings that are found in Christ (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:3).

God will forgive and give an eternal, spiritual inheritance to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3).

These blessings in Christ are true riches, no matter what the world says.

-- David A. Sargent

* From “The Revenues of the Wicked” in www.ministry.com. ** From “You Are Rich” in Today’s Walk in the Word with Joe Barnett, March 17, 2024, a work of Pathway Evangelism

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org