A lot of times in the Bible, the Lord Jesus warns believers against the lust of the world. As believers, we are advised to set our loves on heavenly things so that we wouldn't be drawn into covetousness. Mark 8:36 poses a wonderful question that every Christian must think about. What is your spiritual condition today?.
In Revelation 3:14-19, the Lord Jesus accused the Church in Laodicea of being lukewarm; they were neither hot nor cold. What could have caused it? The answer is very simple; they had loos consecration due to their material prosperity.
Sadly, the present Church is just like the one in Laodicea; services have now become something else and we have pastors who are not genuine.
If not properly handled, material success could be very dangerous. It may be very easy for a fellow to fast when he barely has something to eat at home, than when the persons' kitchen is loaded with all sorts of food. It takes the grace of the Almighty God and firm determination to fast when your storehouse is loaded with all kinds of food. In the same way, it may not take a long time for a lady to dress up for the Church program on Sunday morning when all the lady has is only two pairs of shoes.
However, when the lady has to choose matching shoes among several pairs, she may end up getting late to Church. If King Solomon could ask the Lord to remove the vanity of wealth from him, how much more should we. The Lord called on Adam after he had sold himself to the devil and the three major temptations in human history are the lust of the flesh and eyes, and the pride of life.
He responded by saying he was hiding the light of the fact that he realized that he was naked. He is right: riches without the Almighty God is spiritual nakedness. Do not be deceived. Only the Lord Jesus can satisfy; nothing else in this world can, not even the wealth of the entire world.