By: John Mitchell
It has been said many times by many people, “If I could just win a million dollars, all of my problems would be solved”. I heard a true story about a family visiting a friend. When their friend was driving them around his town, they saw a big beautiful, mansion. They asked their friend if he knew how much that house cost. He said, “Yes, I do. It cost them their salvations”. He further explained that the family, who now owns the house, were faithful to God, and attended worship services, and bible studies every week. Then they received a large amount of money. Then they bought the big house, and the new cars. Now they can buy whatever they want to buy, and go wherever they want to go. They are now too busy living the “good life”, to have time to go to worship services, or to bible studies anymore. They have no need for God anymore. If the only need we have for God, is for Him to bless us with money and possessions, then we don’t know and love God at all. And, anytime we stop getting what we want, above our needs, then we don’t love God anymore. God IS NOT OUR SERVANT, to provide for us at our command. God loves us, and wants us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Matthew 6:32,33 tells us, “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” God tells us over and over, through His inspired words in the bible, that what should be most importance to us, is our eternal salvation. Our salvation is so important to God, that He sacrificed the life of His Son Jesus, who had no sin, to pay for our sins. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a)
Money itself is not good or bad. Having money does not make you a good person or a bad person. The important issue is, do you have the money, or does the money have you? Mark 4:18,19 help to explain this turning away from God. “…they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us, “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.” There are many people, like the people in the big beautiful house, who are living “The Good Life”. Their abundance of money looks like a big blessing, but to some of them it is a curse, in the disguise of a blessing. Satan used their “blessing” of wealth to rob them of their salvation.” Luke 12:15 warns us to beware of being greedy, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Satan will use anything he can, even wealth, to rob us of our salvation. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Matthew 6:11 says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” It does not say, “Give us this day, more than enough money to take care of all of our needs and wants for the rest of our lives”.
I want all of us to fully understand that it is wrong to trust in money to provide for all of our needs. Our faith and trust should always be in God, who provides for us. Matthew 6:24 tells us that, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36) And Luke 12:19-21 tells us, “And I will say to my soul, “Soul you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” “But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
This love of money is not just a rich person problem, it can be a problem for any of us. Wealthy people are tempted to think that they don’t need God, and then next, some of them start to strive to increase their wealth, in fear of not having enough money for unexpected problems. They have no peace, because in their minds, they never have enough money, because of the uncertainty of the future. 1 Timothy 3:17 says to, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” A poor person may believe that if they had plenty of money, all of their problems would be solved. They are not putting their faith and trust in God. The poor person, just like the rich person, is putting their faith and trust in money, to be able to save them from all of their problems. The poor person is putting his faith and trust in money that he doesn’t even have, but believes that if he did have, the money would save him from all his troubles. The rich and the poor both have bad things happen to them that an abundance of money won’t fix or solve, or prevent. There are illnesses that money won’t heal, and deaths that money can’t prevent. Money can’t prevent from happening, crimes, national disasters, unexpected accidents, divorces, and unexpected losses of a person’s physical and/or mental abilities, or the unexpected loss of a person’s money. And worst of all, there is the loss of the most valuable treasure that anyone could ever have, a person’s salvation. An abundance of money can’t ever buy you your salvation, but the love of money here on earth, can rob you of your salvation for eternity.
Sometimes the lack of money can be a blessing. Trying to “live the good life”, but not being able to afford it, can force a person to reevaluate the priorities in his life. The lack of money can cause a person to decide what is really a need for him, and what are just wants? What is most important in his life. An abundance of money can sometimes enable a person to not face the realities of his life
With our free will we daily decide where we will spend eternity. by how we each decides to live our life here on earth. What do you treasure the most in your life here on earth? Trusting in an abundance of money to take care of us is an issue of our heart. (Matthew 6:21), “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If we treasure money, as if it were the answer to all of our problems, then we have made money an idol in our life. Matthew 22:36,37 tells us where our heart should be. Jesus was asked, what is the greatest commandment? “Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” And Proverbs 3:5 tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Daily we need to ask God for His will for us to be done in our lives. There is no better plan for us than God’s will and plans for us!!!