Rich In Heaven: What Matters Most Is More Than Money

By Chris Mackey

Don’t settle for less than the Kingdom.

You know what you need to do. Make more. Spend less. Get on a budget. Pay down debt. Invest for the future. Oh, and tithe—don’t forget to tithe. If we’re really holy, we’ll take our money goals and ask God to bless them. His plan for us is to pr

• Language: English
• Publisher: chrismackey.net
• Release date: May 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781734704716

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Rich in Heaven

Copyright © 2020 Christopher S. Mackey. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any other information storage retrieval system without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

All emphasis within Scripture quotations is the author’s own.

ISBN 978-1-734704-70-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-734704-71-6 (ebook)

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Dedication

To the richest person I know on this side of heaven. Kerri—my good thing.

Contents

Prologue

Introduction

1 The Most Important Question

2 Closing The Gap

3 Energy And The Universe

4 Other Fun New Age Stuff

5 Mo’ Money, Mo’ Blessings

6 Under Privilege

7 My Goodness

8 This Is The Best Chapter

9 Preparing For Upper Management

10 The Difference Between Haves And Have Nots

11 A Word to the Wise

12 The Only Thing To Fear

13 We’re Not Talking About Money, Are We?

14 Your Money’s No Good Here

15 No Limit

Acknowledgements

Prologue

The streets have been talking. The message about this man Jesus has reached every place from the big city to the lush countryside, even to remote villages. Knowing where he could find Him, Rich tracked Him down. The moment he saw Jesus, he took off running. There was a hefty crowd lingering about, but Rich didn’t care; he threw himself at His feet, begging Jesus, What must I do to get this life you’ve been teaching about?

"What must you DO to GET? Do to get? Jesus reasoned aloud. There is a system where doing means getting—what does The Law say? If you want to keep on living, don’t murder anyone, don’t sleep with someone else’s wife, don’t steal from them, lie about them, or cheat them. Respect your parents—"

Okay, I get it, Rich said. He didn’t get it. But Jesus— he started, then thought, Body count: zero murders, check. Haven’t taken anything that wasn’t already mine, wives or property. Check, check. No one could prove I lied about them or cheated them … parents could do worse. Check, check, check!

Now Rich was confident. Jesus, anyone who knows me can vouch for me that I’ve kept these my whole life.

A mild wave of chuckles ran through the crowd. It was apparent that this was Rich’s first time meeting Jesus face to face. Those who had been following Him for some time and listening to Jesus teach knew what He meant when He started quoting from The Law.

He always taught that anger in the heart was the root of murder and that lust in the heart was the root of adultery. He would tell them The Law wasn’t about the external, something to be kept; rather The Law was internal, to be owned in the heart. His followers also noticed the commandments He didn’t mention: (#1) Yahweh is the only true God worthy of being worshipped, so (#2) don’t let anything get in the way of your desire for Him, and (#3) don’t treat your access to Him like a worthless utility. Therefore, the root of idolatry, even if only in the heart, was still idolatry.

The crowd looked on, passing judgment, but Jesus wanted to know more. What was this man’s story? What was it like to walk a mile in his shoes? Those were some nice shoes. As a matter of fact, Rich’s whole outfit was quite chic for the area.

Rich had already revealed his philosophy on life through the question he brought to Jesus: if you want to get something, you’ve got to do something. He must’ve done a lot of doing to get everything he’d gotten. But there wasn’t enough he could do to earn the promises of God. If he wanted all The Law promised, he’d have to do it all.

Poor guy, Jesus thought. Very poor, indeed. This man believes riches are a measure of what you have, but the truth is, riches are a measure of what you need. On the surface, this man has everything he could ask for and everything he could work for. But here he is on his knees, empty of true life.

His heart broke for Rich. The fact that he had no earthly needs was keeping him from a rich relationship with God. Jesus could tell Rich was sincere, but heaven couldn’t just be another rung on Rich’s ladder to success. If He loved Rich at all, Jesus knew He’d have to burst his bubble.

Here’s what you gotta do, Jesus explained. Get rid of everything that is getting in the way of your desperate need for God. In this case, your comfortable lifestyle—your money, your possessions—give it all to the needy and you’ll be rich in heaven. After that, follow Me and I’ll show you the way to true life.

The tension was thick. The crowd fell silent. Rich tried calculating in his head. But as the list of his possessions piled up, it outweighed the offer Jesus had put on the table. He left, dejected.

As he was walking away, Jesus seized the moment to teach a new lesson, using Rich as an illustrated sermon. People like Rich who can live without Me in the present will also live without Me in the future. It’s going to be hard for all those like him to see heaven. So hard, in fact, it would be easier to squeeze a camel through the end of a needle than to squeeze all of them into heaven.

If they can’t get into heaven, is there any hope for us? someone among them dared to ask.

Only with God, Jesus replied. Otherwise, everything I’ve taught you about the Kingdom of Heaven is impossible to obtain.

Though Rich walked away, Jesus left the offer on the table.

Whatever happened to Rich? Well, he did keep on living and he is still trying to find an easier way to heaven. Today, he continues to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle where he can provide for himself and his family. Even in tough times, there may be things he wants, but his every need is always met.

The message about heaven has gained much popularity throughout the years. And Rich has also built a following of his own. Most people think they have heaven. But everybody wants to be Rich.

I am Rich.

You are Rich.

Based on Mark 10:17-31; Matthew 19:16-30

Introduction

"With every head bowed and every eye closed. No one looking around. I want you to think about your life, the good and the bad. If you were to die tonight, do you know without a shadow of a doubt that you’d get heaven? If you were to stand before God while a movie of your life was replayed, would He invite you to live with Him for an eternity in heaven or would you spend an eternity apart from Him in the fires of hell? I am going to pray a prayer. If you say, ‘Pastor, I don’t know where I would go. Could you include me in that prayer?’ I want you to raise your hand. With every head bowed. With every eye closed. No one looking around. We’ll say a quick prayer and then we can go outside and play kickball. Go ahead, raise your hand."

I heard something about kickball. It was Kickball Week! My head was bowed but my eyes were barely closed. I could see most hands in the room were up. I put mine up as well in solidarity, showing the pastor that his job was done and we were all ready. (Ready for kickball.) That was my first time making the decision to be saved. I was eight years old that summer.

Step One

If you’re anything like me, you’re reading this wondering what in the world you’ve gotten yourself into. Don’t worry, this is a first for me, too. Buckle up! We’re going on a journey. My name is Chris Mackey—Hi, Chris Mackey—and if I had to describe myself, I’d say I’m about as average as it gets. What this means is that, financially, I’m not qualified to teach you how to get rich and, spiritually, I’m not qualified to teach you about the path to heaven. I do, however, believe I’m uniquely qualified to teach you how to be rich in heaven.

Allow me to give you my credentials.

My Kickball Week salvation was a sham, but I knew I was saved well before that moment. My family had gone to church every Sunday since I was born, and every time the offering plate came by, my parents would always give my brother and me each a one dollar bill to drop in. They were training us up and raising us right; raising us Christian.

You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t a Christian. If you had skills, the best you could do was what that pastor did—make me question my ticket to heaven or convince me that my Get Out of Hell Free card had been burned up by the hellish things I had done that week. A distorted view on heaven, yes, but not an uncommon one. Throughout the years, in various circles, I heard those messages dozens of times, and each time the bark lost some of its bite. Apart from the imminent fear of hellfire or the eminent expectation of Kickball Week, was there any reason a kid like me would desire heaven, something so far away?

At the same time, a rival kingdom was winning my favor. Through music, movies, and TV, I was being taught a different plan where I didn’t have to wait until I died to experience bliss. I still remember learning the key to life in 1998: Money, Power, Respect. This rap song told me the first step was to get money; with that I could afford some power, and through power, finally earn others’ respect. A distorted view of riches, yes, but not an uncommon one. It made so much sense. My parents were always breaking the bad news to me, saying why I couldn’t have what I wanted, and every time the reason was the same—money. With this key to life, I cashed in my already cheap faith and placed it in the Bank of the American Dream. Step one: get money.

I got my first taste of money at age sixteen when I was hired as a sandwich artist at Quiznos Sub. Finally, I could have all of the things I was told we couldn’t afford. I turned hard-earned money into fine upgrades to my car, like the DVD player with a touchscreen panel, the XBOX that I never played, the cheetah-print upholstery, and the rims with spinning hubcaps. Yes, I said spinning hubcaps. And any time I travel down the Loop 101 Freeway, I still keep an eye out for the one that got away during my trip to Desert Ridge Mall back in ’04. Needless to say, the money went fast. I was living with my parents, with minimal responsibilities, so the majority of my paycheck was disposable income. What a fitting term—disposable. I couldn’t find quick enough ways to get my money into the landfill. Oh, but I tried.

I discovered the quickest way to turn my paycheck into waste, physiologically speaking, was through my digestive tract. That’s a poetic way of saying I spent most of my money on food. (Great, it’s not even the first chapter and we’re talking about poop.) When I made more money than I could eat, I spent the excess on the latest gadgets. I thought I had a passion for electronics—really, I just loved the feeling that I got when someone drooled over the colorful screen on my new mobile phone. (C’mon, we’re talking the early 2000s.) Naturally, my toys became more and more expensive, so it became necessary to sell the months-old ones that now bored me. Before I even realized it, at seventeen, my side hustle had turned into a full-fledged business.

As luck would have it, I actually turned eighteen while working for a major credit card company. What better birthday gift could I receive as an employee than my very own bondage (pronounced: credit card) with a low interest rate? Now, with three sources of funding, I was eager to get to Power and Respect; why not get into the music business? So I launched a record label to support my friends’ aspirations in hip-hop. First, we were recording songs, then we were booking shows, and then we released our music on CD and online for exactly what it was worth (that is, we gave it away for free).

Then came the cell-phone chargeback which will live in infamy. My PayPal account was randomly frozen, not allowing any activity to or from the account. At the same time, someone requested a $1200 refund because they didn’t like the color of their phone. I promptly sent them a refund from my own bank. Once my PayPal account was unfrozen, they received a second refund. (Gulp.) The following week, an album-release party went awry, for which I was charged damages by a hotel. My account was overdrawn. Then came the fees. Is there anything more sadistic than charging someone for being broke? Back to step one. My electronics business was on the rocks and my record label was hemorrhaging cash quicker than I could find it.

A $1,500 credit limit goes fast.

So did the $3,000 and the $5,000 limit.

Three credit cards later, I was working at Guitar Center, enjoying the employee discount. If it were legal, I probably would have opted out of receiving a paycheck altogether and just left with the gear. In a matter of years, I had amassed a treasury of recording and DJ equipment. In a matter of weeks, everything was stolen from my new home, leaving behind nothing but debt and regret.

I’ve been on step one for over twenty years now. I could go on but I’ve got a whole book to bore you with the details. Let’s just say my plan didn’t work as I’d hoped. When the storms of life hit, I had nothing to show for all of the debt I was in. Whether it be time or money, I could easily think, What a waste! Today, I know the truth: none of these experiences were a waste to me.

As a college dropout, these experiences became my professors teaching me valuable lessons through the course of life. For instance, in the record label I started, I gained some useful business wisdom, from planning to execution. When my artists needed to record their music, I became a recording, mixing, and mastering engineer. When they needed an album cover, I taught myself graphic design. When no one was interested in listening to the music, I got into marketing, promotions, and web design. When they booked a show and needed a DJ, I figured that out, too. These are all skills that I still use today in my career and as a freelancer.

By far, the most valuable thing I’ve learned throughout my financial journey is that my way sucks. The three-step money, power, respect aerobics were exhausting. And my own efforts to achieve prosperity also proved fruitless. I swapped jobs, trades, industries, and businesses, hoping to remedy my issue. Like taking Tylenol for a tumor, I wasn’t sure if I was helping or hurting myself in the long run. All these things lay perpetually on the surface, showing symptoms of the true sickness within me. My way sucks. I’m the common denominator. I’m the problem.

Life and Death

My financial story parallels my coming to the faith. I figured I was a decent Christian because I went to church every week and paid a tithe. But I found out just how shallow my faith was once my business took a dive. I couldn’t wait until heaven to start living, but living life my way wasn’t living at all. When I started my company, I named it KOH—Keep On Hustlin’—to remind myself and those I worked with to never give up. So, it’s no surprise that I ignored the urgent memos, taking far too long to face the facts—it was time to give up. My identity, my dreams, and my pride would suffer a nice blow as in one sigh, I went from entrepreneur to ordinary. My business had breathed its last. My faith was dead, too.

Getting acquainted with death was exactly what I needed. It was the qualifier to becoming rich in heaven. To be clear, giving up didn’t qualify me to write this book; rather, it qualified me to read this book. Giving up was simply the moment I acknowledged I needed something that could transform my heart. A new way—most certainly not another my way.

External physical force can change your direction, but no amount will change your heart. Persuasive arguments can change your mind, but none can change your heart. In my experience, there are only two things that affect the heart: life and death. That’s the way I describe the positive and negative circumstances that compel us to reject the status quo and forego our natural desires in favor of what we truly need.

I want to tell you Gary’s story. Like most of my fellow Guitar Center coworkers, Gary was a typical working musician. As such, he enjoyed nightly drinking and partying, was certainly a ladies’ man, and he often lacked a filter. (Makes sense why we connected so well.) I recall one particular night when Gary pulled me aside at the end of our shift and told me his girlfriend was pregnant. Then, we shared an awkward silence while I attempted to discern whether he felt positively or negatively about the news. He cracked a faint smile and I could tell he was elated. I hugged him as I shouted, That’s awesome! Gary was going to be a dad.

I witnessed something in the following months that I had never seen before. At the news of this new life, Gary’s life began to dramatically change. See, Gary grew up struggling with his weight. Well, it wasn’t really much of a struggle; regardless of what it was up against, love for food won. Food was heaven. Gary lived to eat. Any time he would indulge in the satisfaction of his palate, his delight in life would increase. From the outside, it would seem that these two elements went hand in hand, and those who live to eat will understand—the more, the merrier.

What Gary refused to admit was that the food he loved so much could be the death of him. His cholesterol was through the roof and he was at risk for a heart attack. Heart attacks run in Gary’s family, affecting all of his uncles and his grandfather—they all survived them, but perhaps he wouldn’t be so lucky. Gary was on the verge of becoming another statistic; his love for food was at odds with his love for life. If he wanted to continue to enjoy one, it would mean he would enjoy less of the other. He ignored that fact until a greater one dawned on him.

Gary was about to become responsible for the life of another human being. And the effects were night and day. Two major transformations began happening at once, right before my eyes.

First, we stopped going to lunch together; we stopped talking about our love for delicious cuisine, in fact, all we ever talked about was this new health kick he was on. What happened to his love for food? What the heck had gotten into him? What was wrong with him? Despite my constant antagonizing, Gary continued unfazed, even building momentum. He was getting results, too. Eventually, he reached his goal weight, losing almost 100 pounds. I had never seen anything like it, and he made it look easy.

When I asked him, his response was on par. It was easy. Gary decided that he would be around to see, love, and raise his daughter; that he wouldn’t be a statistic in his family; that he would enjoy life beyond his belly. Some foods he could enjoy