"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." - (1 Ti 6:6–10)
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." - (Mt 6:24).
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mt 6:19–21).
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BIBLICAL LIVING 101 - Money (Concept of, contd.)
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Last week we saw that God, knows about, and uses money - we saw it in the Covenant (where a son of the house, and a slave bought with money were both circumcised), in the Atonement and temple Laws of Israel (money - cash or kind) was used for various purposes, including convenience (tithe was made portable by conversion to money). Lastly, money itself, was a means to quantify the value of any person, place or thing.
Anything of value can be used as money, and based on its worth, it can traded/bartered/exchanged/sold to acquire items of similar value. He uses the legal framework of property to regulate not only the commercial practices of Israel, but also as a concept for us to understand His plan of redemption. Our Salvation was procured with Christ's blood-money... If you ever wanted to know how valuable you are....
Beyond the uses we have just discussed, the Bible actively discourages the pursuit of money for its own sake. Desiring to be rich is explicitly called out as a problem, for the reason that it doesn't really make sense.... you brought nothing in, can't carry anything out, even if you build up riches, beyond a point (your lifetime) YOU can't use ALL the riches you have accumulated....
Of course your heirs can - and you should provide for them, but YOU, are not going to benefit from the majority of the money you lay up. Even then, Solomon points out to us, that this money is going to people who have not labored for it, and the most likely scenario, is that they are going to fritter it away - what good did it do YOU then? ?
So the Apostle tells us, be happy with what you have. (The 1 Tim text) this week.
John Wesley has a different take on it - it goes like this :-
" Earn/get all you can, Save all you can, give all you can." -
Really good advice.
God is not opposed to His people becoming rich. He is opposed to people beginning to trust in their riches instead of Him, who is the one that gives those blessings. We see it in a parable of the Rich Fool in the NT ( we did a study on this one - check our parable series here : --- ).
He was blessed by God (his ground yielded bountiful crops), but instead of passing the blessing on, his idea was to hoard it all for himself. God douses him with ice water when He asks him, once he dies (tonight!), whose will all this stuff be?
Now, our Lord also shows us the way for us to earn, and KEEP, ETERNAL wealth! The Matthew 6 text - store your wealth in heaven! It's money backed by divine bond, and is an investment that yields eternal rewards. That is where the "smart" money is!
Unfortunately - most of us don't .... really believe that. If we did, our behavior would be different. ....Here's an example that proves it.
Most employers offer a 401(K)/retirement-matching benefit. You put a certain amount of money aside from paycheck to paycheck, and your employer matches your annual total giving up to a certain %. (depends on the employer). Any money adviser worth his/her salt will tell you to max out your savings contribution so that you can get every penny that the employer is willing to kick in to your account... right? And the smarter ones among us - DO - do that.... after all... this is FREE MONEY FROM YOUR EMPLOYER... So if you are smart, every paycheck, you will be diligent about paying that amount in the knowledge that its helping make more.
Why don't we give to charity in the same fashion? After all, if you trust your employer, do you have a problem with trusting God? Or are you not sure if that's smart? Or do you need it so badly you can't afford to give it to others?
God's not going to ask you to give out of need - He never does. BUT... if you hoard your surplus, guess what - He is not going to give you more!!!!!! Once you start "investing His money wisely" - He is going to give you MORE to INVEST! Why not? ... He knows you can be trusted with it!
So thats the secret to getting rich folks - and you heard it here first. Invest your surplus in helping your neighbor, and God will pour in more. Ask any charitable multi-billionaire - they can't give it away fast enough ... (Rockefeller/Getty/Gates Foundations). But this is not just a billionaires game - the same mechanism will work for you as well!!!!!
And that's why it comes down to a question of who do you serve?
If you are chasing Mammon, its all about you and what you want, and devil take the hindmost! If you are serving God, well - your interests are going to be aligned with His - which is OTHER PEOPLE - not you! So the text doesn't contain any great mystery ... its a very simple, and bald, statement of FACT!
This is why the Bible does not contain any advice on getting rich other than to say - Be smart, be hardworking, and make wise decisions. It warns against greed, against charging interest on a loan(!), condemns wasteful /foolish/ profligate behavior.
Money is definitely used in both practical and spiritual senses, but beyond those uses, God/Our Lord - don't really have much to say about getting/keeping it! Its a tool, and has its place.
Is this rocket science? No.. of course not! So why do people have a hard time with money?
The answer is simple : We think money is what keeps us alive and provides us with stuff. So we focus on making money. The blessed are the ones that know what they want and go for it...the rest of us - all we are looking for is a job so that we can get by!
We give up our dreams, bury our talents and skills, and focus on landing that corporate job out of college - that means going to the right school with the right extra curricular's - which translates into the work and effort we have to put in our lower grades. Now pile on kids costs, college debt, consumer bills and loans, mortgage payments - you are under before you begin! - every dollar is already spent before you even have earned it! Even if you DO land that dream job. Are you content? Do you now have to run faster just to keep doing that and juggling everything else?
Here's the steps you can take to get right...
1. Take it to God. Confess you have (and may be...!) the problem. Tell Him you can't handle it, and thank Him for helping you take care of it on your behalf. Thank Him for His Grace and Provision in keeping you alive thus far .. and be confident He will not let you starve to death!
2. Make a get well plan. Its possible, and will require you to make some hard choices. But it IS possible. There are free government, and non-profit organizations (stay away from predators) that will help you figure out your options.
3. IF you have a surplus (however small) - invest it in the kingdom. This shows God that you are TAKING HIM AT HIS WORD. Christ commended a widow for putting in all her living - 2 pennies was the actual amount! God will feed and keep you. If He can keep a Universe running, HE WILL TAKE care of you! He does not want you to starve - if you can give your morning coffee and bagel, just one day, to a person on the street.... that works...
4. Don't cheat your employer. Put in a honest days work (and go over and above when you can). If you are done with this boss and , start looking for another one - and don't give up!
5. Watch God work! He knows you need money, especially in these Last Days....
Christ's word to His disciples at the Last Supper :
"And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.”
Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.”
So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”He said to them, “It is enough.” : (Luke 22:35–38)
Once Christ's mission is accomplished, and He has ascended, the gloves are coming off. He had earlier sent the disciples out into the mission field but told them NOT TO carry any money, weapons - not to talk to anyone on the road even (Mt 10:9-10, Luke 10:4, Mark 6:8). Now the instructions are different. The disciples will not have the Lord provide in the manner they were used to - but the Lord says, be smart - and make provision for your life and safety.
In closing, all we will say about the concept of money is that the Bible views it as a TOOL. It can be used to assess value, and acquire objects of value. As a medium of exchange, it is a great convenience. It is useless when it comes to acquiring Spiritual gifts ... God cannot be bribed with money! Beyond that, the Bible assures us that God knows we need it - especially in these days....
If you are not sure God is real, money is the surest way to prove that He exists (our 5 point plan - do an experiment and see for yourself!) . Its a sure way for Him (and you) to know, where He lies on your list of priorities!
Hallelujah!