"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income" (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
A successful businessman once confided in another businessman known for his wisdom. "I've made a lot of money. I will soon be able to retire comfortably and do just about anything I want."
"John," the wise businessman replied to the man, "I've noticed that every time someone thinks they've built a tree that is so tall it almost reaches heaven, God often decides to shake the tree."
The minute we start trusting in riches, God will, in fact, "shake the tree" to demonstrate who is the source of wealth to turn us back to trusting Him completely. He did it in my life, and He'll do it in your life too because He loves us too much to allow us to continue down this destructive path.
Money is mentioned more than 2,000 times in the scripture. Jesus used it many times in illustrating an important lesson to his disciples. He spoke often of being a good steward of the resources He entrusted to us. He wanted a return on His investment and He wanted us to stay away from making money an idol in our lives.
Jesus understood that He was here on earth only to do the will of the Father. "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; He can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does."
As we look at our relationship to our heavenly Father and our use of money, it is clear that we, like Jesus, are here to do the will of the Father in all areas of life. This means seeking to live a life that is totally yielded to His purposes -even in the financial area.
Money, independence, and security are often the reasons many start their own businesses or change jobs. Check your motives today and see if your financial life can stand Jesus' scrutiny. Are you operating as a steward of the financial resources He has entrusted to you?
See:Managing Money
Insight:
Money isn't bad at all. Let's face it, we all need money. Tell me who doesn't? If no one needs money, then we shouldn't be tiring ourselves from working at least 8 hours a day.
On the other hand, God never wants us to make money the idol of our lives-the only and ultimate reason why we live here in earth. The Bible has given us enough exhortations why money shouldn't be the center of our lives. Money is just temporal. Money can be stolen. Money can ruin one's life. Money can control you. There are stories in the Bible which show how one's greediness for money ruined one's life (The life of Elisha's servant-Gehazi, 2 King 5). That is why, we should examine ourselves that money is just a part of our everyday living-for us to survive and get on with life; for us to help and be a blessing to other people so we can bring them to Christ; or just simply make use of it for our personal growth. Just what the message is all about, we should determine our motives toward material wealth/money. Otherwise, God will be the one to discipline us so that we can be able to know or realize His sovereignty.
Sometimes, we feel secure once we have money that we no longer see God's miracle that might happen in our lives. Sometimes we become over-independent with money that we no longer remember the One who gave it to us. God is a JEALOUS GOD. Just like money, he doesn't want anything or anyone be His rival in us. He wants us to put Him first in everything we do.
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.1 Timothy 6:10 NIV
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