Riches and Job

working through mark and am thinking about the rich young ruler and Job. Wondering about the comparison. We don't have a final outcome with the young ruler so I guess we can't do to close a comparison. More of a speculation maybe. Although some treat him walking away as a final outcome. The disciples and people of their day seemed to see riches as a blessing. We see them the same way today. It's hard to argue that riches don't change life and in general for the existential better. Wealth does seem to open up individual contengency and feedom. But what if that is stripped from you. Job goes through this and is miserable but maintains his confession- to Gods glory. With the rich young ruler Jesus looks, loves him- and then points to the thing in his life that he is least willing to give up and says -essentially- 'that's mine too'. Hopefully those in the church don't value, or cling to, something so much as to prevent their entrance into the kingdom. I wonder how often we see things that might be close. Job's confession in trial was, "I know that my redeemer lives." I wonder what the rich young ruler's response to those trials would have been. Obviously riches and the abuse or veneration of what God has given is a great example used here by Jesus. That ruler seemed to have it all together. We have to be diligent that the riches that are so often a blessing don't become a curse to us. Just another example of the need to keep gospel perspective in life.