“For the love of money is the root of all evil.” I Tim. 6:10
I’ve heard many Christians say about the above verse selection, “God didn’t say money was bad, just to love it is bad.” I would have to agree that money itself isn’t inherently bad. Money is just money……..it’s an object. It is the heart of the person going after the money that matters. However, God has more to say about money than just the above verse. For instance, in Proverbs 23:4,5…….God says not to Labor to be rich and goes on to say that riches make themselves wings and fly away. In other words, it’s not worthy of your loyalty. In 1 Timothy 6:9, the Bible says that “they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” For the Christian, chasing money may end up in a detour of your Christian faith. Many people have tried this path and ended up broken, in one way or another. I can’t help but think of Elvis Presley, Lindsay Lohan, and Johnny Cash just to name a few. In fact, in the verse before, God says that man brought nothing into this world and will certainly take nothing out; man’s job is to be content with the things he has. I know this flies contrary to popular belief but just remember this life is just a drop of water in the ocean in comparison to eternal life which will last forever.
Oh, please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I am not saying not to work, get a good job or despise a pay raise. God commands that we work and provide for our families. What God wants is that we address our priorities. God knows that when we chase riches with passion and obtain it, several things happen. First, we become dependent on money and second, we become less dependent on God. We have put the cart before the horse, so to speak. Look at Proverbs 28:20….”A faithful man shall abound with blessing; but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” I believe this verse sums it up pretty well. The priority should be chasing God (living by His Word) and allowing God to provide the blessing. Note: If this study has helped no one, it has helped me to put God in His proper order!
No comments:
Post a Comment