“Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life. Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life.” (Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 NLT)
Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 6:9-10 often surface at any discussion of money when he writes: “but people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”
The love of money or anything else other than Jesus can often lead to traps that block our view of Jesus, but money, in and of itself, is neutral, it’s like holding an empty glass. In much the same way as what we put into the glass determines an outcome, how we use, invest, or waste money can help us or hinder us, not only in our walk with the Lord, but in our life in general.
If we have the money the Lord provides and determine under His authority to use it wisely, realizing it doesn’t belong to us, but to Him, He will not only slow us how to use the money to bless others, He will also bless us for its proper use. On the other hand, if our money owns us, motivates what we do, drives us to get more, frustrates us when we don’t think we have enough, or in any way distracts us from our devotion to the Lord, it becomes an enemy that needs to be defeated.
It’s ironic that the people without money seem to love it the most because they imagine how their life would be better if they only had more, but the successful, God-honoring stewards of money, have learned the secret of having money without loving it. And here’s the irony, it’s not about how much you have, but how you view what you have.
And here’s another irony the Bible teaches: we can’t outgive God, illustrated in and through the life and ministry of our Savior. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8:9: “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich.” Yes, I realize this isn’t speaking of monetary wealth, but when the riches of the Lord Jesus are flowing into and out of our life, the Lord will often trust us with monetary wealth.
Though I’ve never made very much money from the standpoint of American standards, based on world standards I’m loaded. As I understand Scripture, money is always and only a means to an end and that end is not simply to provide for ourselves, but for the Body of Christ, His Church. “Yeh, but I never have enough left to give to the Church!” That’s why the Lord instructs us to give our “first fruits,” not our leftovers. We’re to give to God first, not last! “But how is that even possible?” It begins with trust!
The key is living below our means, which is a critical issue few young people learn very quickly. The American dream is to achieve and to acquire and debt is often the shortest route to that goal, or so we think. But debt robs us of our savings ability, thus thwarting the power of letting our money work for us as opposed to always and only working for money.
That same principal apples to how we live our lives for the Lord Jesus. If we’re always and only working in the energy of the flesh as opposed to operating in the energy of the Spirit, we weaken our faith “muscles” by not trusting the Lord to work in and through us. Regardless of how poor we are, we must learn to trust the Lord by giving to Him first, knowing, based on the authority of God’s Word, He will take care of us when we do.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 