How To Be A Happy Rich Person

So here’s the deal: if you are reading this, you are rich. You have either a desktop computer, a tablet or a cell phone and that makes you financially better of than most of the world!

Today I watched the third and final part in a series by Andy Stanley entitled “How To Be Rich”.  {You click on that link, you can go and watch or listen to the messages yourself}.

I made 4 pages of notes, under my own title of “How to Be a Happy Rich Person.” A lot of what you are about to read came from Andy Stanley. Many of the phrases, he has said. I have included a number of my own thoughts, but a lot of it is from Andy Stanley. I’m just emphasizing this so I don’t get accused of plagiarism. Thank you Andy Stanley!

There is more to life than this life.

I’ve said this many times before. In order to get the right perspective, we have to be eternity thinkers.  This life is a test. We have tools to pass the test. The more we have the bigger the opportunities we have to be happy rich people.

As a rich person, memorize this and say it often:

I will not put my trust in riches, but in Him who richly provides.

The Scriptural base Andy Stanley used is Paul’s letter to Timothy. Paul wrote to Timothy to tell him how those who are wealthy in earthly terms should act. There in the Bible, Paul spelled out how the rich should live in order to be happy and what he says is not confusing or complicated. He spells it out very simply in 1 Timothy 6:17-18

 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

When you view your wealth through the lens of eternity, you will loosen your grip on your wealth and it will lose its grip on you.

A lot of us go through life with fists like this…

We don’t want to loosen our grip on anything that we own. You may have lived under the assumption that it’s all for your consumption.

Andy Stanley goes onto reach the parable that Jesus told of the rich farmer who had an abundant harvest (Luke 12:16 onwards). The farmer was rich already. Then he had an amazingly abundant harvest and he had to decide what to do with it. He decided he would tear down his small barns and build massive ones to accommodate the massive harvest. The rich farm made a common, but wrong assumption – he believed “everything I have is for me.”

Once we learn that all we have is not only for us, we will begin to be happier rich people.

The rich farmer went onto say that he had enough for many year to come so he could eat, drink and be merry. God said to him, “You fool – this very night your life will be demanded of you.”

Don’t live under the assumption that all you have is for your own consumption.

Someone else got the rich farmer’s surplus, not because he gave it to them, but because he died. We don’t get credit for what we leave. We only get credit for what we give.

Believe it or not, every one of us leave the same amount when we die. Why? Because we leave ALL WE HAVE.

If you want to be rich towards God, then you have to be generous towards those He has made. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Live your life with open hands.

Bottom line:

When God gets your wealth, He gets your heart. Give while you have the opportunity.  It’s not about how much you have, it’s about how much you give.

Very thought-provoking message this morning and one that will makes strive to live with eternity in mind and see this world’s riches for what they really are.  I’m reminded of the extremely rich guy who was visited by an angel shortly before his death. He pleaded with the angel to allow him to take his stash of gold nuggets to heaven with him. The angel said he would have to first ask. After much backward and forwarding, with the man pleading to be able to take the gold, the angel finally came back to say he could take one sackful. The dying man was ecstatic and got his most valuable gold and kept it close to his bed. On his death, his soul was carried into heaven and the gold disappeared as well. St. Peter met him at the gates to heaven and had heard about this man who wanted to bring some earthly wealth. Peter wondered what was in the sack and was keen to open it. On doing so, he exclaimed: WHAT? You come to heaven and you bring PAVEMENT?!

Revelation 21:21

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

Heaven is spectacular. Be an eternity thinker.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you!

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂