The love of money is what drives many people. It is linked to power and prestige. Many people will do anything to get rich. With money some people think they can do anything or think that money makes them more important than other people. People fight for money, others kill for money, others betray family and friends for money.
Then there are those who have many people around them whom they consider to be friends yet such people are there just for money. It is interesting that when a person has money, then there are usually many people around such a person calling themselves friends. When that same person goes bankrupt, those people who claimed to be friends disappear. People lie for money, people have been corrupted because of the love for money. People steal public property to get rich.
People use, misuse, abuse, and manipulate others for money, power, and prestige. Money gives people a false sense of power.
Money in itself is not bad. It is what place it occupies in our lives. Is money first before God? If we place the love of money above God in our hearts, then money becomes an idol. Idols never satisfy. With idols you want more and more no matter the cost. With idols you will do anything to maintain them in your heart. Idols make us their slaves. They become our masters. Money becomes our master if it occupies a place higher than God in our hearts. We can never serve two masters; it is either God or the world and its pleasures.
Money holds us as slaves in chains if we idolize it. We can have a lot in the bank yet we still crave for more. We accomplish one thing then run over to the next. We change jobs to go to those with more money yet we end up using the money to satisfy our extreme love for pleasure. The more money we have the more we spend. The more we have the more we feel in control. The more we have the more we feel powerful.
We are told the world and everything in it will pass away. If we live for money then we live miserable lives. Money can never satisfy us. Only God satisfies. Money in itself is not bad, it is required in this life. However, it should never occupy the first place in our lives. There are other things more important in this life. The first thing being, having a relationship with God and Jesus Christ as a personal Lord and Savior. You see, you cannot have Jesus on the throne of your life and have the love of money at the same time.
With Jesus, a new perspective on life is gained. The Word of God transforms our way of thinking. What would it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul? Our souls are more important. Where we will spend eternity after life on this earth is more important. In the face of eternity, anything worldly loses meaning. Anything worldly becomes vanity.
How we obtain money is equally as important. Do we get it through corruption, lies, manipulating others, or taking advantage of others? Anything acquired through wrong deceitful means does not last, it never satisfies, and neither does it come with peace. A person may have all the money in this world and yet lack peace. That is why even famous and rich people commit suicide; many lack peace that only God can give.
When we do wrong, the conscience tells us, somehow we know it. A defiled conscience condemns a person. Such people lack peace completely. They may seem okay on the outside but inside they are in turmoil. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals the truth to us, and only the worldly sorrow brings regret and condemnation. We should be very careful how we obtain our wealth. Anything acquired at the expense of another person is never worth it. Anything acquired through compromise is never worth it. Anything that requires us to do or say the wrong thing in order to achieve something or to please someone else is never worth it.
Better to have little and be at peace than to have much and never know peace.
The Bible says that where our treasure is, that is where our hearts will be. If we are consumed with desire to accumulate more and more wealth, that is where our hearts will be. Things of God will start losing meaning in our lives. We will start deceiving ourselves that money can solve everything. No. Even the most wealthy die. They have all the money yet that money cannot buy good health. Money is not the solution. God is the solution.
Whoever loves money never has enough, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. Money without God becomes useless, vanity of all vanities. It gives a temporary sense of power and control but that eventually fades away. Money can never fill up the deep longings of the human heart.
The Bible says that dishonest money dwindles away. One may spend their entire life accumulating wealth, yet, as soon as they die, those who remain take over that wealth and misuse it to the last penny. It goes on to benefit strangers. Jesus had told a man in the Bible to go sell his possession and then follow Him. However, that man could not do it; wealth was such a stronghold for him to the extent that he would rather miss out on Jesus than give away his wealth. Jesus told him if he sold his possession and gave to the poor, he would have treasures in heaven. But the man could not do it.
We cannot serve both God and money.
We should never reach a place where we are arrogant and put our hope in money. Wealth is so uncertain, it comes and goes. We are to put our trust only in God. We are to build up treasures in heaven by doing good, being rich in good deeds, and being willing to share. Wealth is deceitful. We are to use our wealth to honor God. We get over the stronghold money has by giving. Giving is the antidote to the love of money. We are to serve God with our wealth and honor Him with the first fruits of all our crops.
“Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter; but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12.
Blessings.
Get my free guide: How to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply. Click Here to download.
To watch YouTube Videos, Click Here.
Get free consultation about my Christian women coaching mentorship program. Click Here to get more information.
To listen to the podcast, Click Here.
There’s no peace that “only God can give us”. Peace is a state of mind, and how that state of mind is achieved depends on the individual’s perspective. After all, Christians only find peace in God because we know Him and resolve ourselves to worship Him. But even so, there are miserable Christians who commit suicide, and there are happy atheists who live fulfilling lives. Peace doesn’t have to come from a good place, either. The only kind of peace that “only God can give us” cannot be found on this Earth; we have to wait for Heaven. That peace will be everlasting.
There’s no peace that “only God can give us”. Peace is a state of mind, and how that state of mind is achieved depends on the individual’s perspective. After all, Christians only find peace in God because we know Him and resolve ourselves to worship Him. But even so, there are miserable Christians who commit suicide, and there are happy atheists who live fulfilling lives. Peace doesn’t have to come from a good place, either. The only kind of peace that “only God can give us” cannot be found on this Earth; we have to wait for Heaven. That peace will be everlasting.
Also, God doesn’t always give us peace by directly infusing it into us; He gives it to us in the form of people and other spiritual gifts. Same way he doesn’t cure our physical hunger directly; He gives us food to nourish ourselves with. No matter how strong your faith is, peace in this world comes from the human relations God has given us.
Even before I was saved, I found peace in my Husband. Absolute tranquility of mind (which is what “peace” means). It was only after finding God that I realized what that peace was for and where it came from, though.