Love of Money

Do you love money? Be honest. Would $10,000 be just what you need right now? Wouldn’t life be so much better if we all started with 1 million dollars coming out of high school? Isn’t it true that a little bit more money would make your life better? It’s hard not to believe this, isn’t it? We could pay off debt. We could buy that one item we’ve always wanted. We would just be happier if this was true. I have a hard time not believing this. I’m amazed at how often this thought comes, “If only I had a little bit more money, I would be all set. I would be happy.”

It’s hard to deny our love for money. Money isn’t bad. Rich people aren’t bad. But the love of money is bad. I Timothy 6:10 says,

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves
with many pains.

Why is a little love for money bad? First, the Bible says so. As a result, we should believe it. But the reason the Bible expresses the challenge of money is because it competes for our allegiance. We quickly move from worshipping God to worshipping money. We see money meeting the needs we have instead of God. We see how money gets us what we want. We see how it satisfies our hunger for stuff or comfort. We like the opportunities money gives us. We even believe it has more power than God. I can see what 1 million dollars can do for my life. I’m not sure if I can see what God can do.

If happiness is found in stuff, money is the answer. If happiness is found in exotic vacations, then money is the answer. If happiness is found in the security of a large portfolio, then money is the answer. If these are the places where you believe happiness lies, then money is your answer. Getting as much as possible should be your goal. Giving away as little as possible should be your goal. Your life’s purpose should be the acquisition of money, so that you can be happy.

Have you found happiness in stuff? Have you found happiness in exotic vacations? Have you found happiness in the right numbers on your portfolio statements? How’s life been for you with the purpose being to acquire as much money as possible? How do you feel about a life based on getting and acquisition versus a life based on giving?

There is just something inside us that knows this love of money is not right. There’s something about a life devoted to getting that doesn’t mesh with who we are.

We’ve been created to worship God, to devote our lives to Him. Happiness is worldly value. Joy is a gift from God. Joy can’t be bought. Joy comes from relationships not from stuff. People are more important than things, because we’ve been created to love people not stuff. We will never be at peace with ourselves or with God until we live as He created us to live and embrace whom he created us to be. We are created to serve, to give, to love.