It’s not Money — It’s the Love of Money
My mother-in-law is 97 years old. She fell three weeks ago and broke her hip. She’s currently in rehab, and recovery will take a long time. Ruby was born in 1927. She was a child of the Great Depression and knew what it was to be hard-working and wise when it comes to spending. To this day, she never will throw anything away and does not buy anything if she can get along without it. She has always been an active church giver, and before she fell, the last thing she would do before going to church was to write a check.
Paul has a warning for us in I Timothy 6:9 – “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.” Paul gave this advice to Timothy, a young pastor in the city of Ephesus, a wealthy city where riches tempted everyone. Verse 10 says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Paul warns. “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many kinds of grief.”
Paul’s words to Timothy about money reflect his words in Acts 20:35 where he quotes Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” If you search the entire New Testament, you will not find Jesus saying these exact words. The question is – where did Paul get them? It could have been through oral tradition, but it’s more likely that Paul came up with these words from what he learned from the life and teachings of Jesus.
If the love of money teaches us to be greedy, how do we live and not be greedy? Luke 12:13-21 tells us to be “rich toward God.” When we love God above all, God remains our chief delight. Psalm 90:14 says, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”
Rejoicing in God daily takes away our tendency to covet, and we can be more content. I pray that Jesus will redeem all our heart’s desires and make us rich toward God!
Prayer – Father, we ask that you satisfy us every morning with your wonderful love. We ask that you replace our greed with holy hunger for you. Amen.
I Timothy 6:6 – “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images: Shane, Zlataky & Tyler Nix, courtesy of Unsplash
