1 Timothy 6:9-10 says, “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” Many people misquote this verse saying, “Money is the root of all evil.” No. That’s not what it says. Money is neutral; it can be used for good or bad. It’s the love of money that’s a root of all kinds of evil. And that’s true. What’s at the root of corporate business scandals where a few people at the top steal billions of dollars from investors? The love of money. What causes people to fall prey to schemes and risky investments? The love of money. What causes people to hand over hard-earned money to lotteries and games of chance? The love of money. What causes people to be so stingy and miserly that they don’t even help out their own families? The love of money. It traps you with foolish and harmful desires. It plunges you into destruction. It can even cause you to wander from your faith, because when you love money, you tend to use God. When you love money, God becomes subservient to your desire to possess and control the things that bring you comfort, security, and esteem. Money guides your life, and you use God to try and maximize or bless your pursuit of money. But the Bible says you can’t serve two masters. God will not be mocked or used. He can only be loved. He wants to be the source of your comfort, security and esteem. He wants to guide your life. The key to crash-proofing your financial world is to switch from loving money and using God to loving God and using money.
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 15:30:58 +0000