“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
1 Timothy 6:10, ESV
It’s funny to me that pastors are so quick to preach on the evils of money and, at the same time, pass the offering plate. Parishioners walk away, confused about money. Is money good or bad?
The answer is money is neither good nor bad; it’s just a tool. God doesn’t speak of money in a negative light but rather the attitude that people have toward money. To some money has become a god to be worshiped and the end-all of life. There is no doubt that God uses the money to provide things needs for life and ministry in this fallen world. (Although I feel I could argue that money was not God’s commodity from the beginning.)
Jesus had much to say about money in the New Testament as well. He felt the need to address the attitude of money as he started his public ministry.
“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.”
Matthew 6:19-21, ESV
“No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.”
Matthew 6:24, ESV
It is so easy to slip into serving money instead of using money. I even think people use their relationship with God to gain wealth, i.e., blessings from the Lord. In such cases, they are still worshipping wealth instead of God.
Here are three determinations you need to make about money.
Determine the treasure of your heart.
Only you can choose God over money. Jesus makes it very clear that you can’t serve both. Money is an inanimate object that can’t receive worship. Therefore, what you’re choosing is self-worship or God worship. What you value the most becomes the worship of your heart. In Matthew 6:26, we read that God values his children more than the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
Let God’s value of you drive your value of Him. Tweet
Pastor Bill Sizemore
Determine the source of your provision.
According to the rest of this passage in Matthew six, trusting in money causes you to live in anxiety because all the responsibilities to provide ultimately fall back on you. Trusting in God removes the stress of your life because he can provide what is needed. Once you decide to believe and worship God, you can turn your anxiety into prayers. (Phil. 4:6)
Determine the focus of your life.
Serving money usually means the love of stuff, and the flesh is never saticfied. Someone asked John D. Rockefeller, “How much money is enough?” his reply was, “Just a little bit more.” At that time, He owned 90% of all the oil and gas in America. Jesus commands His followers to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
The value of money will never compare to the value of God’s love. Use money as the tool it is meant to be, and love God will all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love the commodity of God. The man that is loved by God and others is the richest in the world.
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Bill Sizemore 