In most societies today wealth is measured by the size of one’s bank account. Having a sizable stock portfolio would also qualify one as wealthy. Both of these measurements are classified by the term, “worldly wealth.” Christians, however, use a different standard of measurement for wealth which has to do with how wealthy is your soul. And without being rich in our soul we are poor indeed, no matter how much money we may have in the bank. I think Pastor Alistair Begg said it well: “When all a man has is worldly wealth, he is poor indeed.”1
You see a person’s soul is of infinite value and how we care for our soul and how our soul cares for others will determine not only our wealth level but something of equal importance – our health level. As a believer in Christ I have learned the great secret of physical, emotional, and spiritual wealth and health, and quite frankly, it has little to do with worldly wealth.
Understanding that my soul will either spend eternity with Jesus, or eternally separated from Him, helps me keep an eternal perspective on my actions. Not only that but I have also learned that nourishing my soul in the present, by reading the Bible daily, spending time in prayer, loving and blessing my neighbors, as well as my enemies, and of course worshipping Jesus, is the best way of living a life of great meaning, peace, joy, and maximizing the potential for total health while living on planet earth!
And speaking of eternity what joy floods my soul knowing that even when trials and pain come my way, for taking a stand for Jesus, the words from (Matthew 5:11-12) help me realize that my true wealth is being stored up in heaven: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Finally, Scripture leaves us with a most sobering thought: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). My friends, having a joyful soul by worshipping Jesus, following in His footsteps, and knowing I will spend eternity with my Lord and Savior, in my book, makes me truly wealthy indeed – even if my bank account may indicate otherwise!
1 Alistair Begg Quote: “When all a man has is worldly wealth, he is poor indeed.”
Amen!
The Wealth That Cannot Be Measured…M.R.Neveu
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Curt’s meditation on true wealth dismantles the modern assumption that prosperity is measured by bank balances, portfolios, or the glittering metrics of economic success.
As he states plainly, “Both of these measurements are classified by the term, ‘worldly wealth.’”
When worldly wealth becomes the sole yardstick, the soul shrivels. Curt quotes Alistair Begg to drive the point home: “When all a man has is worldly wealth, he is poor indeed.”
The essay’s central claim is simple and subversive. The soul is the most valuable possession a human being has. Its condition, not its surroundings, determines both wealth and health. Curt writes, “A person’s soul is of infinite value and how we care for our soul… will determine not only our wealth level but… our health level.”
Spiritual negligence, then, is a form of poverty. Spiritual nourishment is a form of abundance.
Mr. Blattman frames Christian wealth as a life lived with eternity in view. The soul will spend forever either with Christ or separated from Him.
That reality reorders priorities. Eternal perspective becomes the corrective lens through which present choices are made.
This is why Curt emphasizes daily Scripture reading, prayer, loving neighbors and enemies, and worship…practices that “nourish the soul in the present” and generate a life marked by “meaning, peace, joy, and maximizing the potential for total health.”
Curt then addresses the paradox of suffering. Trials for Christ are not liabilities but deposits into a heavenly account. He cites Matthew 5:11–12 to argue that persecution is not a subtraction from wealth but a multiplication of reward: “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” Earthly loss becomes eternal gain.
The essay closes with the sobering clarity of Mark 8:36. Gaining the world is a catastrophic bargain if it costs the soul. True wealth is not the accumulation of assets but the orientation of affection…worshipping Jesus, walking in His ways, and resting in the certainty of eternal life.
As Curt puts it, this makes him “truly wealthy indeed – even if my bank account may indicate otherwise!”
Worldly wealth fills hands; true wealth fills eternity.