Treasure in Heaven

“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21

Many saints have given up their wealth to follow Jesus. How about ordinary people like you and me? Let me tell you about the “Great Gatsby of Kenya”. When Charles Mully was only 6 years old, he was abandoned by his entire family to fend for himself. He became a homeless beggar and sometimes had to steal so he could eat. That was his life for ten years until a stranger took pity on him and invited him for prayer and fellowship. He heard a preacher’s sermon on the importance of faith, hard work and how nothing is impossible with God. 

He decided to change his life and walked to a more prosperous part of Kenya, where he knocked on doors looking for work. A wealthy Indian Catholic family opened their door and hired him. Charles worked on their property and within a year was promoted to manager of their farm. After that, he got married and had a family of eight children, all the while working hard. He started multiple businesses including Mullyways Agencies, a transportation business conglomerate in the 70’s, and became very rich with assets valued in millions of shillings. That was when the trouble started, because he made money his god, and he realized, “The more you get, the more you want.”

One day his car was stolen by one of the street boys he refused to pay to protect it. That day he realized he had forgotten what and where he came from. God spoke to him and said he had to sell everything he had and help the abandoned children. In 1989, he sold all his property and businesses. He used his money to help the street children, providing shelter, medical care and education. His family was shocked, but his wife Esther decided to help him and started caring for the orphans he brought home. Since that time, Charles and Esther have taken care of more than 23,000 abandoned children. 

God may not be asking us to sell all we have, but He is asking us to give, and give generously. Whatever we give adds to our treasure in heaven. Proverbs 19:17 is very clear: “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you!”