According to Investopedia, the net worth of an individual is the amount by which one’s assets exceed liabilities. Another way to say this is, it's the value of everything you own, minus all your debts. And this keeps changing because their values are not stable and are determined by market forces. This net worth makes man a commodity rather than a human being – and God had predicted in His word that this would be the case in the last days. A price is fixed on the individual (Sportspersons are the best examples but, every job-worthy professional is also carrying value and is hunted and traded as a “head”) and society treats such individuals according to their “worth”. Little thought is given to the actual value of the soul. God looks at man differently – as one who possesses a soul of immense value. That is why Jesus asked the question, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeit his own soul?”. He also seemed to ask a rich man, “If your soul is taken away from you tonight, what would happen to the riches you have gathered? Whose will it be?”

• People are focused on increasing their net worth moment after moment and look up to people who already have significant net worth. Believers are also focused on this life more than the life to come. Big houses, luxurious flats, organic farmlands, jewels, high-end cars, vanity attire, and huge bank balances are life’s ambitions. An abundance of riches is considered recognition of their spiritual status by God! “How would God bless me with all these riches if I am living an ungodly life? Surely, God must be pleased by my lifestyle”. Searching must happen as to whether the riches are from God or from the god of this world because, the devil was so audacious to tell even the Lord Jesus, “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou, therefore, wilt worship me, all shall be Thine”. – Luke 4:6, 7

• People keep adding assets by adding more liabilities hoping that the value of the assets will exceed the value of the liabilities as time goes by. But this is only an illusion as the liabilities become costlier than the assets over a period. And many depreciable assets (like cars) lose their worth even before the loan (liability) created for its acquisition is cleared. Believers are no exception to this rule – they keep buying houses, farms, and vehicles with loans acquired from banks that offer “attractive” loan plans. Let us not forget that the Old Serpent came to Eve with many attractive offers, only to provoke her to commit sin against God. Many have fallen victim to these “attractive” loan schemes and EMIs. This is an attempt to sell oneself to a certain value of money based on one’s current job and future ability to move up in their career. “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” – James 4:13-15. And no bank will sanction a loan against our application if we will mention the last statement on it!