“When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?” (Matt. 19:25)
According to His riches in heaven is not to be correlated with the wealth you have in this world. How much money you have, how many items you possess, not even your health is to be a determining factor when one considers how much the Lord is blessing you. That is why those in attendance that day were amazed, there was, and is still today, fewer other ways to determine if a man is in the favor of the Lord except by the things of this world, by the visible representation of items accumulated, honors achieved and health that does not fail.
“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:” (Matt. 3:8)
These works can be feigned, they can be done for vainglory in the sight of others, and most of the time no one who witnesses them will know the difference, sometimes not even the person performing them. But God knows. Many God-fearing men who gave their lives for His glory have attained what some in the world would call great wealth, and are berated by the wicked for being so blessed, for to the unlearned a nice house, fine clothing and the other items that comes with these blessings of humble service to some is a sure indicator that they are hypocrites, for to them this person who claims to serve the God of all creation should live in abject poverty, giving away all but what is absolutely necessary for his daily needs.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5)
Yet the one whom the Almighty has called to do so, the man of God who has little gain in this world is seen by these same individuals as despised by the Lord, for there is no increase in his worldly substance, and his health rarely seems to be able to barely keep him alive.
These will find fault in either case, rest assured in this truth.
I will offer my own analogy here, and I pray you will be able to apply it to your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, accepting His will in your life. There are, relatively speaking, very few people that read these short, poorly written letters, but what is penned by me by the power and desire of the Holy Spirit would not change if there were hundreds of thousands of views. It is what I have been called to do at this point in my life by the Lord, and I will obey His will in either case.
This is what the wicked can never understand, for they see faithful service to whatever cause as being rewarded for in this life, and by the things of this world. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt. 5:12)
But this is what many who serve the Lord do not contemplate often, that whether the rewards are here in part or in heaven in full, it matters not to the one who serves in love. Christ is our reward, the pleasures forevermore, even the Kingdom of the Most High is secondary.
“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Gen. 15:1)
What the Almighty blesses you with in this life accept with all humility and gratitude, what He removes from you offer praise to His name for doing so, for He alone is worthy of praise. The wicked will never understand this, I pray that this short letter has assisted you in seeing these truths.
