Wrong On So Many Levels

Former New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, made a 50 million dollar donation to a program to promote gun control. He then said in a speech following the announcement:

“I am telling you, if there is a God, when I get to heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading straight in… I have earned my place in heaven. It’s not even close.”

The former mayor’s statement is one of the most arrogant things I’ve heard or read. Imagine, being so bold as to declare ones place in heaven on personal merit. Does he not know that we are all sinners? All sin and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Contrast his attitude with the words of Jesus when He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Bloomberg seems to express some doubt about the existence of God, but he has no doubt about his own importance, or his place in heaven. Perhaps a little less faith in himself and a little more in the Almighty would be in order. Peter tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He might exalt us at the proper time.

Like most politicians, he seems to think that money can buy anything, and this is just wrong. Jesus once asked: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?” (Matthew 16:26). I guess Mayor Bloomberg believes $50 million is sufficient. Somebody should tell him it doesn’t work that way. There isn’t enough money in the world to purchase a single soul’s salvation. Only the blood of Jesus can atone for sin (Ephesians 1:7).

The mayor totally misunderstands how God measures the size of ones gifts. God looks at the sacrifice rather than the sum. That is what Jesus taught when he contrasted the poor widow’s two mites with the sum of all the rich men’s gifts. In the eyes of God, her two mites were greater than the combined contributions of all the wealthy men (Mark 12:42-43). According to Forbes, as of April 18, 2014, Michael Bloomberg’s net worth was 32.1 billion dollars. After subtracting his $50 million contribution he was still left more than 32 billion dollars. I’m not a mathematician, but the way I figured it, his contribution wasn’t even 1 percent of his net worth, but a measly .0015576324 percent. Really, he sacrificed nothing, but he did get a lot of attention. Sadly, that may make him happy now, but it won’t help him in eternity.