Growing up, I heard many people speaking about the Bible condemning the love of money. In 1 Timothy 6:10 (NKJV), the Bible says,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
But I kept asking people, “What does it mean to love money?” Is it about staying poor while holding on to your faith in Christ? Or is it about knowing the purpose of money so that it’ll guide us in its effectual usage? Well, the latter question makes sense to me. But after all, what the Bible teaches is what is truth.
In 1 Timothy 6:10, where the Bible speaks about the love of money, the phrase “love of money” in the context of that scripture means “fond of silver (money).” So the love of money is all about being fond of it.
When you read the preceding verses before 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul was speaking about people’s desire to get rich (1 Timothy 6:9). It’s written that those who possess that desire fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. So what Paul is speaking about is what one filthy desire in a Christian’s heart can do to him.
There’s something our souls need that money can’t satisfy. It’s called fulfilment.
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To notice that you’re beginning to love money, check what fills your thoughts and heart. Is it about amassing wealth unto yourself, especially using dubious means? Or about fulfilling God’s purpose for your life?
How to serve God instead of money
You serve whatever or whoever you work for. If you work for God, you’re serving Him. If you’re serving money, then it means that money is the primary source of inspiration for what you’re doing. By saying this, I’m not condemning work or any money-generating venture in our lives. However, there’s something our souls need that money can’t satisfy. It’s called fulfilment. As for that one, only God can gratify it, not marriage, children or trillions in the bank. So many people hate their jobs, not because it’s exhaustive, but because they aren’t able to connect them to purpose. When you connect your finances to the fulfilment of your divine purpose, you’ll understand that work is not a curse, even if it’s not engaging.
Complaints don’t solve problems, but spiritual understanding will change your perspective.
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For example, let’s say God has called you to be an evangelist, but you’re now working as a bank teller. You may not enjoy all the inner satisfaction your current job will give you because your heart is on people getting saved. However, the moment you understand that some amount of your salary is needed to sponsor missions, working effectively at your current workplace won’t be a burden to you. Why? Because you’ll give to other ministries before you launch out as a full-time evangelist in God’s time. That is, connecting your money to your divine purpose. But if you don’t know this, you’ll miss it, and you will always complain. Complaints don’t solve problems, but spiritual understanding will change your perspective.
Set your heart on things above
Everything earthly is temporary, including the money we have. However, material things exist so that we can use them to fulfil our purpose. For example, we have to pay our internet service providers in order to run our website. And we can only do that with money. So the goal is to continue doing God’s work, not to become focused on acquiring more funds in our coffers as a ministry. Because of this understanding and vision, our money becomes a tool for doing God’s work.
Setting your heart on things above doesn’t necessarily mean being so God-conscious that you’ll neglect your earthly life. It’s rather about using every earthly thing to do what God has called you to do – both personally and organisationally. Buying food to feed yourself is also included in God’s plan for your life because your physical body needs strength to do God’s assignment. Paying school fees is also important because you’ll get the training you need in educational institutions to do God’s purpose.
From today, please view money from a different perspective. See money as a gift to use for the glory of God, not for our satisfaction. Shalom.
