In a world where being a boss and making mad dollars is highly praised; we have to be careful to have the right perspective on money or else we may end up doing without it or getting it in a way that brings trouble on us.
So many people make money their god. They work two and three jobs for it giving it all of their time, effort, and sometimes their integrity. The good thing is we don’t have to over-extend ourselves or debase our character in any way for it as God’s children. We simply have to realize the purpose and the source for it.
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. – Deuteronomy 8:18
God uses us as an example in the earth to show his faithfulness just as He used Abraham, the father of the faith. Abraham was one of great wealth and favor because of his faith in God. His wealth continued on to Issac, and Jacob, and so on. This is another proper purpose of wealth is to leave an inheritance to our children.
God doesn’t give wealth for us to horde, floss, appear superior to others, or to buy things that should be free such as love, friends, and self-esteem. The Bible has many scriptures on money, finances, and wealth that provide a guide that we can use in our personal lives to be successful in our financial lives.
He who trusts in riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. – Proverbs 11:28
The righteous know that they have riches because of God. Those who trust in riches do so despising God. They attempt to fill voids in their lives through their relationship with money instead of their relationship with God. We cannot even be righteous without God. Truly righteous people have become righteous through depending on God knowing God has added righteousness to their account. It is nothing they could have done on their own. (Psalms 32:2.)
People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell. – Proverbs 11:26
Then, he (Jesus) said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” – Luke 12:13 (Also, read Luke 12:13-21)
Greed, and getting money for selfish gain just to store it up is definitely not of God; Just as trusting in money is not of God. In Luke 12, Jesus continues this point sharing a parable about a man who had so much grain, and wealth that he ran out of room to put it. He tore down his barns and built new ones that were bigger so that he’d have enough room to store up.
He looked at what he had while ignoring the more important things in life like his soul due to his hoard of wealth. Jesus warned sharing that his soul would later that night be required of him as he was to die the same night. The question was then asked of Jesus, saying, “who then will have what the man stored up for himself.” Jesus was pointing to the vanity of being rich for the sake of being rich, and not being rich toward God nor the things of God.
We learned in the first part of this series the purpose of wealth is for God to display his covenant in the earth showing others that he is real. He does provide for the fatherless and widow. He does supply all of his children’s need. He does own the cattle on a thousand hills as the Word of God says and there is nothing too hard for him.
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