Materialismo
O materialismo é uma armadilha espiritual. A Bíblia alerta que o amor ao dinheiro é raiz de todos os males e nos chama a buscar tesouros no céu, não na terra.
O perigo das riquezas
Que aproveita ao homem ganhar o mundo inteiro e perder a sua alma? O materialismo engana e afasta do que realmente importa.
People might get everything they want in this world, but ◄if they do not become my disciples, they would really be gaining nothing because they would not get eternal life!/what would they gain if they do not become my disciples and thus do not get eternal life?► [RHQ] ◄There is absolutely nothing that people can give to God that would enable them to gain eternal life./What can people give to God that could enable them to gain eternal life?► [MTY, RHQ]
People might get everything they want in this world, but ◄they are really gaining nothing if they do not get eternal life because they do not become my disciples!/what will they gain if they do not get eternal life because they do not become my disciples?► [RHQ]
But some people strongly desire to be rich. As a result, they do wrong things to get money, and this will cause them to be caught/trapped [MET] as animals get caught in traps. They foolishly desire many things, and those desires cause them to get hurt. And God will completely reject them!
We brought nothing into the world when we were born, and we cannot take anything out of it when we die, so if we have food and clothing, we should be satisfied with these.
We brought nothing into the world when we were born, and we cannot take anything out of it when we die, so if we have food and clothing, we should be satisfied with these.
Tesouros no céu
Ajuntai tesouros no céu, onde traça e ferrugem não consomem. O bom nome vale mais que muitas riquezas, e a sabedoria supera o ouro.
Jesus taught that we should do deeds that please God. That will be like putting treasures in heaven.
"Do not selfishly accumulate large quantities of money and material goods for yourselves on this earth, because the earth is where everything is destroyed. For example, on earth termites ruin things, and things rust, and thieves enter buildings and steal things. Instead, do deeds that will please God. Your doing such deeds will be like storing treasures in heaven [MET]. Nothing perishes in heaven. In heaven no termites ruin things, nothing rusts, and thieves do not enter buildings and steal.
Remember that the things that you think are the most valuable are the things that you will be constantly concerned about [MET]. So if you want to be storing treasures in heaven, you need to be constantly thinking about God and heaven, instead of your earthly possessions."
Jesus said to him, "If you desire to be all that God intends you to be, go home, sell everything that you have and give the money to poor people. The result will be that you will have spiritual riches in heaven. Then come and be my disciple!"
◄Having a good reputation/Being honored by people► is better than having a lot of money;
being well respected is better than having plenty of gold or silver [DOU].
Becoming wise is better than aquiring gold;
getting good understanding/insight is better than acquiring silver.
Being poor and revering Yahweh
is better than being rich and having a lot of troubles.
Contentamento e generosidade
Grande ganho é a piedade com contentamento. A cobiça é idolatria, mas a generosidade traz alegria e bênção.
Well, we truly do gain great benefit when we conduct our lives ◄in a godly manner/in a manner that pleases God► and we are content with what we have.
Tell the believers who are rich here in this present world that they should not be proud, and that they should not trust in their many possessions, because they cannot be certain how long they will have them. Teach them that instead of trusting in their wealth, they should trust in God. He is the one who generously gives us everything we have in order that we may enjoy it.
Live without constantly coveting money, and be content with the things you possess, remembering what Moses wrote that God has said about supplying what you need,
I will never leave you,
I will never stop providing for you [DOU].
Do not do what is evil.
Get rid of your evil practices/deeds [MET, MTY] as though they were enemies whom you were killing (OR, Stop doing evil things [MET, MTY], just as dead people do not do what is evil). Specifically, do not practice sexual immorality. Do not commit unnatural sexual acts. Do not desire to act like that, and do not desire to do anything that is evil. Do not desire to have more things than you need, because, if you do that, you are ◄worshipping material things instead of worshipping God/making material things to become your god►.
Then he said to the whole crowd, "Guard yourselves very carefully, in order that you do not desire other people’s things in any way! No one can make his life secure by obtaining many possessions."
The futility of wealth
Everyone who tries to get as much money as they can
will never think that they have enough.
They will never be satisfied with the money that they have.
That also is senseless.
When we are born,
we do not bring anything with us,
and when we die,
we take nothing with us
from all that we have earned by our working hard.
O invisível acima do visível
As coisas que se veem são temporais; as que não se veem são eternas. Devemos fixar os olhos no que é permanente e verdadeiro.
That is why we say, "We will not continue thinking about all the suffering that we are experiencing now. Even though we cannot see all the things that God has prepared for us in heaven, those are what we should be thinking about." That is how we should think, because all these troubles that we(exc) have now will last only a short time. But what we will have in heaven, what we cannot see now, will last forever.
Rich people are protected because they have a lot of money [PRS]
like a city is protected because it has a high wall surrounding it [SIM].
Your money will not help you on the day that God judges and punishes people;
but if you live righteously, you will live a long time.
because as soon as you look [MTY] at all the money that you have acquired, it will be gone;
it will disappear as if it suddenly grew wings [SIM]
and flew up into the sky like an eagle.
All during the day wicked people desire to obtain things,
but righteous people have plenty, with the result that they are able to give things generously to others.
Help me never to lie or deceive people
and do not cause me to become poor or to become rich.
Just give me the food that I need;
I would like that the clothing that women wear be ◄modest and sensible/proper and appropriate► [DOU]. I want them to not fix their hair in fancy/elaborate ways, nor wear gold jewelry, nor pearls, nor expensive clothing in order that they may make themselves attractive. Instead, they should be doing things that women who ◄claim to/say that they► worship God should do; that is, they should be doing good deeds.
The believers shared everything, and the apostles told others about Jesus.
The group of people who had believed in Jesus were completely agreed about what they thought and what they wanted/desired. Not one of them claimed that he alone owned anything. Instead, they shared with one another everything that they had.