Anxiety with money is an extremely important issue to many people. Sometimes in a person’s life they may not be able to make it or be living check to check. This creates a multitude of problems. I have to feed my kids, so do I have to sacrifice a bill and become delinquent or maybe skip a medication that I really need. If your family couldn’t afford for you to go to college or you have limited skill set-there may be very diminished opportunities for employment. It’s not a situation anyone wants to be in. And if you are elderly and on a fixed income, your choices may become even more dire. If you are younger, you may be able to get a second job. But in any of these situations there can be a high level of frustration.
When you think about money-yes, it makes the world go round. Some people and areas have tons of money and other areas are severely lacking it. You could be one of the few born into it. But the vast majority of us are Regular Joes. You’re blue and white-collar workers have to approach it differently. There are so many ways to acquire money. Many sales people can do terrifically. If you rise to middle management, upper management or CEO, you can live a very nice life style. But how did you gain your money and does the lust for it change you?
God doesn’t have a problem with you making sufficient money to accommodate your life style. He just wants to make sure you are above board when you do it. Take a look at 1 Timothy 6:9-10.
9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
You see it there. “The love of money” is the root of all kinds of evil. Many people quote it as “money is the root of all evil.” Money is just paper but it has value and in this world is very enticing and people will do practically anything for money. Let’s check out the lyrics to an old O’Jays Song “For The Love Of Money.”
People will steal from their mother
For the love of money
People will rob their own brother
For the love of money
People can’t even walk the street
Because they never know who in the world they’re gonna beat
For that lean, mean, mean green
Almighty dollar, money
For the love of money
People will lie, Lord, they will cheat
For the love of money
People don’t care who they hurt or beat
For the love of money
A woman will sell her precious body
For a small piece of paper it carries a lot of weight
Call that mean, mean, mean, mean, mean green
Almighty dollar
You’ve probably seen most of this in real life or maybe the movies. Nothing is sacred when you get between someone and money. You see it in gambling, people robbing other people of their money, breaking into banks to steal their money making money counterfeiting and many more. There are so many ways unethical people will try to relieve you of your wealth.
There are many scammers on the internet, on TV and over the phone. God does not condone any of these illicit practices. You may be lucky enough to have a terrific job, invent something or hit the jackpot with the lottery but you can’t gain it with unscrupulous methods. Check out Proverbs 13:11-13.
Dishonest money dwindles away,
but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
13 Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,
but whoever respects a command is rewarded.
13 Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,
but whoever respects a command is rewarded.
As you can see this is the way most people acquire wealth. Little by little your money grows. You just have to be wise, such as the parable about investing shown in Matthew 25:14-30.
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So, you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Again this shows investing your money wisely is your surest way to wealth. So, take your hard-earned honest dollars and make it grow for you and avoid schemes and unethical methods no matter how easy it sounds. There is a price to pay if you cheat your fellow man. Look at Proverbs for example.
Proverbs 11:1
11 The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but accurate weights find favor with him.
Proverbs 6:12-15
12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
God opposes those who bilk or cheat their fellow man. If you are a shyster, you may profit from your schemes here on earth. But the dishonest advantage you have on earth will be your undoing at judgement. God knows every act you commit on this earth and you want to be in his favor at that reckoning.
The other item regarding money is tithing. You can read about it but I won’t discuss it in this blog. If you give and how much is a conversation you can have with your Lord after combing the scriptures and being in thoughtful prayer. Just remember that you give out of love and obedience. God doesn’t need your money but if you really want to expand his kingdom on earth, it is a very important question to consider.
Tithing scriptures:
(a few examples)
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
1 Corinthians 16:2
Proverbs 3:9-10
