The perspective that too few people have regarding money and possessions.
Did you look at the title and click through to this post hoping you would learn something that would help you make more money? Or maybe you just saw “money” in the title and had to check it out because you love everything to do with money? Hopefully not, but either way, you’ve come to the right place, though not likely for the reason you were hoping for because if either one of those is you, there’s something you need to hear: Money might be an idol for you.
I’ve talked several times in the past about idols and what idols really are, and I’ve also recommended Gods at War as a great place to start learning how to kick those gods off their thrones. My focus today isn’t so much on money as an idol, though, so much as it is focused on helping you perceive money they way it ought to be perceived, and although this post primarily pertains to money, many of the ideas can be applied in areas that others tend to turn into idols.
Money is Good
To start us off, we need to establish the fact that money isn’t evil. Money is a good thing that people abuse. Money is a thing given to us by God and He often uses money as a way to bless people. The problem isn’t our money; it’s our hearts. 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “the Love of money is a root of all kinds of evils”. You see? Loving money is the issue, not the money itself. This love turns the money into an idol. The idolatry of money is given special notice simply because money is often the barrier between us and other idols, so on the way to acquiring other idols, we end up worshiping money as well and striving for more of it.
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Money, as with most idols, never fully satisfies. They’re always driving you to need more and since money is required to purchase the other idols, its effect is often multiplied and is one of the easiest idols to fall for.
However, money isn’t always put in this negative light in the Bible. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is told by Jesus himself and condemns the man who didn’t work to grow the money he was given. Or how about when Job was blessed at the end of his story? He was given double what he previously had. Why would God do that if money and possessions are evil? He wouldn’t.
Money is a Tool
Money is simply a tool, given by God, and used by society to provide a unified system of trade, which allows everyone to acquire the things they need without needing to know how to do everything on their own (e.g. build houses, dig wells, grow crops, hunt, etc.). Money enables “civilized society” as we know it (though at the same time it has an amazing ability to give us another reason to act uncivilized).
All good tools are useful and should be used, but all tools can also be misused and abused. It is only when we start using money in a way that God did not intend (selfishly) that it becomes sinful.
Our Money Belongs to God
As with everything else, our money isn’t actually ours. God created everything and owns everything, so all that we have is simply lent to us to be stewarded wisely. Knowing this, we should be thankful for every penny God has entrusted to us and strive to use our money and possessions wisely and without selfishness or greed. Money should be used as a tool to keep us alive and to bless others who are in need, which is one way to make an eternal investment in heaven. In fact, being generous with our money is one of the best ways of preventing money from becoming an idol.
I was talking to a friend of mine who is quite wealthy, but the only real indication of his wealth is his extreme generosity. He was recently talking to me about how easy it is for money to become an idol in his life. I asked him how he kept the god of money off the throne of his heart. Here’s what he said: “Giving money away breaks its power. It’s like saying to money, ‘I don’t care about you. You are so unimportant to me that I can just give you away.'” He explains that when you give like that it destroys your idol of money because “it can’t stand not being important.”
If you want to find out how important money is to you, start giving it away.
Kyle Idleman in Gods at War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart
To conclude: Don’t love money; love God and he’ll show you how your money should really be used.
