Playlist:

playlist Go to the Wealth, Desire for (topic) playlist

A Godly Quest for Pleasure

Article by David F. Maas

Is a Christian denied a pleasurable life? Are we relegated to lives of drab monotony and duty? On the contrary, we are created to experience pleasure.


How Big Is Amazon.com?

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The number of billionaires in the world has risen 18% this last year.


The Rich Young Ruler and the Needle's Eye

'Ready Answer' by Mike Ford (1955-2021)

In the rich young ruler, we see a respectful and eager young man who leaves Christ and goes away sorrowful. The Christian walk is particularly hard for the wealthy.


Are All Forms of Gambling or Games of Chance Sin?

Bible Questions & Answers

Any activity that is based upon covetousness is sin. A Christian should not desire to increase his own wealth by depriving someone else.


Parable of the Rich Fool

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Even if we have everything we could ever want or need, when we die, our goods will do nothing for us. Because of wealth, the fool believes he has no need of God.


Parable of the Treasure

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Jesus' Parable of the Treasure in Matthew 6:19-21 is designed to get us to evaluate the relative values of material wealth and 'treasures in heaven.'


Be Happy (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by Gary Montgomery

God has made it possible through His Spirit for us to be optimistic and happy even in a world that seems to be crumbling around us.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twelve)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Corruption in the courts is a fact of life. We should not be surprised by this curse, realizing that God is aware and is allowing it for a purpose.


Why Do the Wicked Prosper?

'Ready Answer' by Mike Ford (1955-2021)

Righteous men have complained about the ease of the evil for ages, but what is the answer? King David contemplated this, and gives us the answer.


How to Become Rich

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

God does not measure prosperity by the ownership of physical possessions but with the depth of a person's relationship with Him.


The Tenth Commandment

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Covetousness is an insatiable desire for worldly gain and lies at the heart of where most sin originates. The tenth emphasizes man's relationship to man.


Does God Want You to be Rich?

'Ready Answer' by Staff

Laodiceans think of themselves as rich, while God sees them as poor. But Smyrnans see themselves as poor, yet God says they are rich! What are true riches?


A Warning from Jude (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Blinded by greed, Balaam used whatever mental gymnastics necessary to arrive at the answer he wanted. He turned the grace of God into a license for evil.


The Tenth Commandment

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Everyone is out to acquire as much as possible for himself. The tenth commandment, however, governs this proclivity of human nature, striking at man's heart.


The Tenth Commandment

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Coveting begins as a desire. Human nature cannot be satisfied, nothing physical can satisfy covetousness, and joy does not derive from materialism.


Money, Control, and Sacrifice

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

Wealth will certainly damage our character if we permit it to control us. Riches cannot buy forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, or eternal life.


Another Look at the Prosperity Gospel

CGG Weekly by Mike Fuhrer

Prosperity gospel preachers twist verses out of context to convince people that God will give them anything. They fail to mention that God does not give His benefits to just anyone.


Money, Control and Sacrifice (2015)

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

In the important things in life, money is powerless. Wealth cannot buy forgiveness, eternal life, or God's Spirit. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath.


Why Is Life So Hard? (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

Some have a warped idea of godliness, not pursuing it with a desire to resemble God, but believing that if they are righteous, God will materially bless.


Agape: Does Not Envy

Sermon by Bill Onisick

The source of envy and covetousness is Satan the devil who coveted God's throne and proved himself as a murderer and liar from the very beginning.


Are You Missing Out On Blessings?

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Often physical prosperity works against godly character and spiritual well-being. To be rich toward God means to seek His Kingdom first, live His way, and trust Him.


Maintaining Good Health (Part 5)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In the Bible, eating can be a symbol of fornication. Like Jacob and Christ, we must learn to curb our appetites, learning to distinguish holy from profane.


The Christian and the World (Part Nine)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Anxious care and foreboding are debilitating and faith-destroying. Meditating on what God has already done strengthens our faith and trust in God.


Back to Life (Part Three)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Jesus' deliberately delayed His return to Bethany until Lazarus had died so that He could bolster the faith of Martha and His other disciples, then and now.


Deceived by His Eyes

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abram learned that God gives material prosperity to those who are not seeking it. Those who seek riches are destined to fall into a snare.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Five): Comparisons

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Solomon provides these comparisons to indicate the choices we should make to live better lives in alignment with God, even in an 'nder the sun' world.


What Does God Really Want? (Part 5)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

What God really wants is for us to see things from His point of view, making the right choices, striving to build character, developing into His image.


The Christian and the World (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The best way to attain true wealth and the abundant eternal life is to loosen our grip on worldly rewards and treasures, and single-mindedly follow Christ.


The Seven Laws of Success

Herbert W. Armstrong Booklet

WHY are only the very few—women as well as men—successful in life? Just what is success? Here is the surprising answer to life's most difficult problem.


Created to Do God's Will and Work

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God requires us to work and not deliberately seek welfare or food stamps, but He also does not want us to obsess on acquiring riches.


Biblical Finance

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Bible is not an economic text, but it does include financial principles that all should know and follow as well as they are able. Here are a few.


Parable of the Sower

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

When the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God is preached in all the world, the ears that hear it are not always receptive of this priceless knowledge.


The Enduring Results of Compromise

'Ready Answer' by Martin G. Collins

Compromise usually begins small and can grow to encompass once strongly held beliefs. The story of Solomon 'minor' sins illustrates how this process works.


Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen (Part Seven)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

The letters to the seven churches of Revelation warn of losing our first love, heeding false teachers, compromising God's Truth, and forgetting right doctrine.


Balaam and the End-Time Church (Part 1)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Balaam illustrates the paradox of someone who knows God's will, but willfully and deliberately disobeys, presumptuously thinking he could manipulate or bribe God.


The Christian and the World (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The prince of the power of the air is responsible for influencing the zeitgeist (dominant mindset of the time), pulling us away from God and His law.


The Commandments (Part Seventeen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Wealth accumulated by honest work and diligence will be blessed, but hastily acquired by any kind of theft or dishonesty will be cursed.


The Tenth Commandment (1998)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

One commentator said all public crime would cease if this one law was kept. Another said every sin against one's neighbor springs from breaking this commandment.


God's Rest (Part 4)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Coveting—lust—is a fountainhead of many other sins. Desiring things is not wrong, but desiring someone else's things promotes overtly sinful behavior.


Weeds!

Article by Mike Ford (1955-2021)

We must weed out detrimental habits that choke our lives. If we want to produce quality fruit, we must weed our garden.


Habakkuk: A Prophet of Faith (Part Three)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Habakkuk was frustrated that God would use an evil people to punish Israel, yet he resolved to cease fretting and to become a responsible watcher.


God's Rest (Part 3)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Lust begets a guilty conscience, agitation, anxiety, depression, grief, torment. Wrong desire leads to lying, adultery, and murder—eventually leading to death.


The Christian and the World (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Clear vision lights the way spiritually. If the eye of the heart is aimed at spiritual treasure and the glory of God, it will remain singly focused.


The Commandments (Part Nineteen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus taught that all outward sin stems from inner inordinate desire. What we desire or lust after automatically becomes our idol.


Spiritual Food Satisfies

Sermonette by Martin G. Collins

Those who view religion as a life of gloom and deprivation are too short-sighted to realize that the world's entertainments do not satisfy the deepest need.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Seventeen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Wisdom can be defined as doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to the right measure. Wisdom is not given as a whole, but incrementally.


Thou Shall Not Covet

Sermon by John O. Reid

Because virtually every sin begins as a desire in the mind, the command against coveting (lustful cravings) could be the key to keeping the other commandments.


Contentment

Sermon by John O. Reid

Many people live in a state of discontent. Tragically, what they set their hearts upon often displaces the love for family and a relationship with God.


Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part Nine): Wisdom as a Defense

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

The type of wisdom Ecclesiastes teaches is not of the purely philosophical variety, but is a spiritual sagacity combined with practical skill in living.


More on Modern Liberalism

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh

The economic crisis was caused by wrong choices made by bankers acting like the seductress in Proverbs 7 to make a profit. Liberalism follows from Adam and Eve.


Maintaining Good Health (Part 4)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

While drunkenness and gluttony show self-centeredness and lack of discipline, often leading to poverty and ill health, moderation is the way to glorify God.