TRUE VALUE Spiritual Wealth vs. Material Wealth:

Spiritual Wealth vs. Material Wealth:

Jesus teaches that a person’s soul

is worth more than the entire world

Matthew 16:26 asks, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith; of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

A Word from Pastor Pizarro

As a Pastor and as a man of faith, I often ask what it is all for. Many years ago, my brother Danny was taken from us too soon. In those moments of grief, I asked what all the worry, care, and detail of his life had truly been for. Right at the beginning of his manhood, he was plucked away. We were devastated, and though we never truly recover from such loss, we learned to live with it, holding fast to the belief that beauty can be found in memory, in faith, and in the belief that he rests with God. In that moment of sorrow, our family felt a call to live with urgency, making our relationship with God the center of our lives. He became our inspiration, and his passing deepened our family’s bond.

Matthew 5:8 (NIV): “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Moments like these make us pause and seek meaning in the face of what seems senseless. As we grow older, reflection becomes a faithful companion. If only we could time travel back in time, to start anew with what we know now; perhaps we would do things differently. Yet life unfolds as it is intended, and God remains at the helm, whether we acknowledge His guiding hand or not. We are never fully in control. We all wrestle with purpose, moving through life from moment to moment, sometimes with clear, solid goals and other times like wanderers seeking our calling. For life is fleeting, and our spiritual center; our faith and trust in God remains the only true constant. True contentment does not come from chasing more or from perpetual achievement. It comes from resting in God’s light and grace, where peace replaces anxious striving and strength steadies the soul. Ambition, rightly ordered, is a gift and a tool that God uses to open doors for service and growth in His purposes.

2 Timothy 2:22  Aim at righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

1 Peter 1:22:  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth... love one another deeply, from a pure heart

Going back further, I remember returning home from deployment, and the only thing I wanted in all the world was to sit at my family’s dinner table. I didn’t long for grand outings or social engagements. I simply longed for that table, where love and food met in quiet fellowship.

As I prepared to sit, I could not help but notice the humble selfishness that can come with longing for one’s own comfort. Yet more important than any plate’s warmth were the hands that prepared it, the steady, patient hands of my Mother and Aunt, whose labor spoke louder than any praise. In their kitchen, love was served in every scoop, and that love carried me home more surely than any map or plan.

I sat there and cried a silent tear as my Mother and Aunt placed food on the table. The scent of pollo guisado, arroz con gandules, and sweet desserts filled the room, and joy began to rise even in the midst of longing. If I had a million dollars, I would have given every cent just for that moment of belonging and blessing. At that second, as we held hands and said grace together as a family, money felt utterly irrelevant; blessings and presence mattered more than worldly possessions.

I had to thank the Lord for this true treasure.

You see, our blessings and our perspective are deeply personal and relative, shifted by time and circumstance. We value differently at different seasons, yet what carried me through my darkest hours to that table while I was deployed was my faith in God. I prayed with a stubborn hope to come home, and at times it seemed as though home was distant, perhaps even a dream not grounded in reality.

We can drift so far from everything that we lose hope, but there is always hope. It’s often all that we have, and it sustains us in the long, quiet hours when we least expect it.

Meditate on these Principles:

• Authenticity: Being the same person in private as you are in public, without hypocrisy.

• Sincerity: Having motives that are focused on pleasing God rather than seeking human approval.

• Alignment: Ensuring your inner thoughts and desires match God's will

Our desires, the things we strive for and cling to, are often subjective. Half a world away, there are people who have never heard of our favorite holidays, who do not know us or anyone we know. Many chase riches, but what does money mean when you’re facing a catastrophic illness? It can pay doctors, but does it give you hope? Does it deliver miracles? Does money love you, hold you at night in the hospital, or shield you from death? Our possessions, awards, followers, and accolades do not guarantee safety or salvation. Are we prepared for life after death?

College does not gain us entry into Heaven. A trophy does not heal a wounded soul. What does God think about our choices, and why might we find ourselves sacrificing faith to achieve earthly success and recognition?

Have we compromised our hearts and spirits in the name of survival or triumph? The answer begins with God, in the beginning, in the midst, and at the end of our mission.

Consider the image of the famous movie, Cast Away, where a man’s focus narrows to survival and rescue. In that isolation, the most valued thing becomes the companion he fashions. We all remember the face on a volleyball named Wilson. That object, though precious, cannot sustain him forever. What sustains him through the isolation is faith; it is faith that carries him when all else fails. This cinematic example helps illustrate a timeless truth: our values and perspectives can shift in crisis, but our core commitments…our faith, our gratitude, and our love for God must remain steadfast.

Closing Reflection, Your reflection in isolation

In the end, our desires and the things we cling to reveal more about our hearts than about the world around us. Half a world away, others walk paths of scarcity and uncertainty, reminding us that life’s true measure isn’t found in possessions or accolades. When illness, loss, or trial comes, money and status may help with comfort, but they do not grant hope, mend a broken heart, or secure a place in eternity. The questions we carry are not about how much we have, but whose we are and how faithfully we live.

The gospel invites us to anchor our lives in God’s love, resting in His grace, and letting our faith shape our days, beginning, middle, and end. Like the one who finds steadiness in the storm, we discover that true wealth is a life lived in relationship with Him: a heart at peace, a hand extended to others, and a longing for His kingdom that never passes away.

May we measure our days by faith, not by fortunes; by compassion, not by conquest; and by the light of Christ that guides us home. Amen.

Matthew 6:19-21: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... but store up treasures in heaven.

Colossians 3:2: Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

1 Timothy 6:17-19: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant; to store up for themselves treasures as a firm foundation for the coming age.

Hebrews 13:5: Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.

James 2:5: God has chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith.

Philippians 3:7-8: But whatever gains I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ; indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

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