For the Love of Money

I’m wrapping-up my readings in Timothy – and very happy to move beyond the 2nd Chapter! Paul’s final chapter contains more warnings, including some missives against the perils of wealth.

“People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Paul’s advice to Christians: “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.”

Is Paul teaching that wealth is bad? One doesn’t have to delve too deeply into the Bible to find numerous other passages wherein we are warned of the potential problems of money and possessions. Here is one of the most memorable warnings:

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:24

In several other places, we are warned to not be “greedy for money”. And, of course, we all know the familiar camel passage:

“I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24

These passages can be tough, as they give the impression that wealth is a bad thing. Is that really what Jesus is saying? Not exactly. What I believe He is saying is that there is a real and present danger in wealth and the pursuit thereof. It is far too easy to let the pursuit of wealth dominate our thoughts and focus. We can spend most of our life trying to make more money, and then using that money to purchase bigger and better “things”.

Let’s revisit the “camel” passage I mentioned above. In this passage, a rich young man approached Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Ultimately, Jesus instructed him to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. The man was hesitant to do this, and Matthew records that “he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

Does this passage mean that we all need to sell everything we have and give it away? No, not really. What Jesus is emphasizing here is that we often put our money and possessions above our love of the Lord. We may talk a good talk about putting God first and being willing to do whatever He asks of us, but are we really being honest? If we were asked to do the same thing as this wealthy young man, would we follow the Lord’s instructions, or would we, too, walk away sad?

For the most part, money is required in order to provide food and shelter. The Bible is clear in that we are all expected to work and provide for our families. There is no dollar limit specified on what we can earn, or no detailed list on what we should and should not buy. However, we must be very careful to not let earning money and achieving wealth to become the main focus of our attention. God deserves and demands that focus.

There is a passage in Proverbs that I feel provides a good guideline in terms of money:

“Do not wear yourselves out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” Proverbs 23:5

Jesus Himself added:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth … But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Matthew 6:19-20

So you make some money, acquire a nice house and car, and accumulate some other possessions. What are you to do? I once had a conversation regarding this subject with a good friend and faithful Christian. He told me something that has stuck with me. He asked me – and I’m paraphrasing -- “How are you using these gifts? Are you using them selfishly, or are you sharing them with those less fortunate? Are you using them to help glorify God?”

These are great questions, and the answer truly is clear. We are not to become a miser and greedily protect our wealth and possessions. Rather, we are called to use our wealth and possessions to glorify God and further His Kingdom here on earth. We should be willing to share them. We should give generously to our church, to missions, to our community, and to worthy charities.

In his excellent book “Margin”, author and medical doctor Richard A. Swenson writes:

“Nothing in Scripture and in the chosen lifestyle of Christ could be clearer: Wealth is not an objective of the spiritual life. When we encounter money along the path of life, we are encouraged to do one of three things with it:
a) turn and walk in the other direction;
b) pick it up and give it away; or
c) if needed, use it for the necessities of daily living.
Any other interaction risks adverse spiritual consequences.”

Always remember that everything we have – and that includes money and our possessions – is a gift from God and is due solely to his generosity. We own nothing. And let us also not forget that our life here on earth is very temporary, and only a blip when compared to the eternity we will spend in heaven with our Lord. So why do we spend so much of our brief time here on earth in dogged pursuit of wealth and possessions? It certainly isn’t what God intends or desires.