Job had everything a person could ever want. He was the Bill Gates of his time. Whenever people needed a loan, live stocks, and etc, they came to Job for assistance. Not only was Job wealthy, but he was blameless and upright. He was a man that “feared God and shunned evil” (v1).However, a day would come when Job life of luxury would change. One day while Job’s sons and daughters were enjoying a nice meal at one of his oldest son’s house, one of his workers brought him shocking news: “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" (Job 1:14-15).

While the messenger was still speaking, another came and said to him, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" (v.16). While that messenger was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" (v.17). Before that messenger could finish his sentence, another came in and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"(v. 18).The hurt and pain that Job felt at moment must have been unbearable. Everything he had, his children, sons and daughters were all gone in one day. But yet, job said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (v. 20).

If everything that you ever worked your entire life was to be taken away from you, will you still serve God? I don’t know of too many people that will answer yes to that question. Loosing anything (whether material or not) that you cherish can really hurt you especially if you grew up not having anything but when you finally were able to afford certain things, someone comes and takes it away from you.

There are two things to be mindful of:

First, everything you have is only a loan from God. Too many people have the misconception that because they spent their money to buy something, that thing belongs to them. Theoretically it does but not literary. In other words, if God had not blessed you with the money, you would not have been able to afford anything. We are only the stewards of everything that we own. At any moment, like Job, you can loose it all.At the end of your journey on earth, whether a person goes to Heaven or Hell, all of the material thing that a person owns will be left here on earth. There is nothing wrong with having or wanting materialistic things—cars, money, a house, etc. The problem is that when people get those things, they tend to forget who the sole proprietor of their possessions--God.

Second, you too can enjoy the luxuries of God’s blessings. It’s very sad to see how the poverty mentality has infiltrated the minds of God’s people. Whenever a person is prosperous in the church, he is considered to be stealing the church’s’ money. The God that we serve is not a broke God. As believers, we too, should live a life of abundance. We should stop judging those that are blessed and stop hating on them. When you see someone driving your dream car, pray that God will continue to bless that person. When you see someone with a house that you would one day like to buy, pray that God bless that person.

One of the reasons why so many ‘church folks’ are living paycheck to paycheck is because we still have God in a box. In other words, many of us only know God as our healer, lawyer, basic provider, and King. I said basic provider because most believers that need something from God only believe God for that thing and nothing more. For example, a single parent that needs help paying their rent will usually only believe God for their rent, food, and their kids basic needs. I want to challenge you to stretch out your faith a little bit more. Instead of believing God for only those things (which are okay), why don’t you try believing God for your own house with no mortgage payment? There is nothing too hard for the Lord. If you can believe it, you can receive it.

Job wasn’t one of the wealthiest men in the east. He was the wealthiest. This indicates to us that we too, can have the blessings of Job in our lives. But are we willing to pay the price? I believe it is time for the saints of God to be listed on Forbes top 10 wealthiest people on earth. Can you imagine if Bill Gates (the wealthiest man in the world) was on fire for Go? More people globally would have heard the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ and billions would have been saved.