by Rich DuBose
The word “rich” has more than one definition. A painting may be painted with rich colors, or an evening sunset may be rich with the warm values of orange, red, and yellow.
Certain foods like pecan pie are known for their “rich” flavor and content—so much so that I can't eat very much of it at one time.
Another definition for “rich” has to do with the amount of money or material wealth one has. Someone who has more than they need is often thought of as rich or wealthy. However, how society views wealth may not be the same in every culture. Every society develops their own terms of reference for what constitutes wealth. In the West it used to be understood that if you had a million dollars you were rich. But due to inflation, a million dollars isn’t what it used to be.
In 1960 when my dad decided to go to college, he worked in a college printshop on a private college campus near Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he made around two dollars an hour. He was in his early thirties and already had four small boys. So, including my mom, there were six people in our family. Dad was definitely not getting rich by working at the printshop, but he measured his wealth in others ways.
In 1960 you would have probably been able to feed a family of six for $150 a month. Now it can easily cost $1500. When you compare the prices of products and services in 1960 with those of today, it makes your head spin.
Gas - 31 cents a gallon
Bread - 20 cents a loaf
Flour - 55 cents (5 lbs)
Newspaper - 5 cents
Postage - 4 cents (letter)
Eggs - 57 cents (one dozen)
Milk - 52 cents (1/2 gallon)
Potatoes - 75 cents (10 lbs)
Navy Beans - 17 cents (1 lb)
McDonald’s Hamburger - 17 cents
Ford Fairlane V8 Sedan - $2,499 *
In 2025, you’re lucky if you can buy a dozen eggs for $8.00. Bird flu has caused a severe shortage in some locations.
Wealth Is a Moving Target
Wealth is not static. The value of money and property constantly changes.
“Inside wealth” with CNBC, states that, “America’s millionaire population grew 7.3% in 2023 to 7.43 million people, according to a report from Capgemini.”
“Their combined fortunes grew to $26.1 trillion, up 7% from 2022. Capgemini defines millionaires as those with investible assets of $1 million or more not including [one’s] primary residence, collectibles or consumer durables.
You're not a millionaire if you just have a million dollars, you have to have investable assets of a least one million. Being a millionaire or a billionaire has become ho-hum. Now the goal for the super rich is to be a trillionaire.
According to USAFacts, “As of 2023, the top 1% of American households owned 30 cents of every dollar…. In 2023, 97.5% of all net worth —totaling $139.4 trillion — was owned by the 50% of Americans with above-average net worth. The remaining 167 million Americans owned about 2.6% — or $3.6 trillion.”
Economically, we live in a very lopsided society where on one of end of the spectrum there is extreme poverty, and even abject hunger, and on the other end there's excessive wealth that is viewed by many as obscene. This is what you get in a society that values unfettered capitalism over community and societal well-being.
I have said all of that to say this, the important question is not how much money we have, but what is our relationship to wealth? How does it affect us?
The Value of Wealth
One day, “as Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 'Why do you call me good?’ Jesus asked. ‘Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’ ‘Teacher,’ the man replied, ‘I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young.’ Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. ‘There is still one thing you haven't done,’ he told him. ‘Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions” (Mark 10:14,17-22 NLT).
The man’s relationship with wealth was killing him. It was the dominant feature in his life, and Jesus knew that as long as it was, it would rob him of the kind of person God created him to be.
To the Rich Young Ruler, Jesus’ radical request tested his “willingness” to let wealth play second fiddle to God’s values, and he answered with a sorrowful, “no.” In his view God’s values were inferior to his. What he missed seeing was that instead of his possessions belonging to him, he belonged to them. He was possessed by his possessions.
The value we assign to our wealth determines its intrinsic worth and durability.
When the disciples heard Jesus’ response to the Rich Young Ruler, they were perplexed. In their view wealth was a sign of God’s favor, and they assumed that wealthy people would be the first ones to enter heaven.
“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!’ This amazed them. But Jesus said again, ‘Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!’”
“The disciples were astounded. ‘Then who in the world can be saved?’ they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God’” (Mark 10:23-27, NLT).
The value of our wealth is in proportion to how it is used and invested.
On another occasion Jesus told his followers, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” (Matthew 6:19-24, NLT).
I’ve never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch—which means we can't take our possessions with us!. Death is the great equalizer that puts every man, woman, and child on the same level. The day before we die we may be a billionaire, but one second after we die we have nothing.
Treasure in Heaven
The only way to store up treasure in heaven is to allow God to transform our characters into his likeness, and to invest our wealth in people through acts of kindness and love. Jesus said when we do this we are showing kindness to him.
*Source: Retrowow, an online resource for information about the past.
Rich DuBose writes from Northern California | Photo by Tom Davis, with Pexels.
On the web at: richdubose.com. All Rights Reserved © 2025. Join me on Blue Sky @spiritrenew.bsky.social.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.