Money: All about the money here!

This message is dedicated to the:-
Christian Reader: on how to deal with our monetary wealth in our daily lives
Non-Christian Reader: to dispel a few misconceptions that people may have about the bible regarding money

Ok. Imagine this...you have just been given an exorbitant amount of money that would be able to last you for generations. Will you accept it? I think nearly all of us would! How would you use it, my friend? Well...if I was given a billion dollars, I wouldn't even know what to say or do. What I would ask myself is, would the person I am currently change? Would the people around me think differently and treat me differently from now on? Will my life be ultimately be better or worse off? There are a few things about money I want to talk about, particularly in relation to the Bible. First of all I want to dispel a couple of MISCONCEPTIONS about money because a number of people seemed to have misinterpret the Bible.

MISCONCEPTION: MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL (just disregard this ridiculously stupid statement). If money is the root of all evil, then what I have in my wallet is something really sinister and evil. We all might as well throw away ALL our money in the bin then to keep away from this evil. Let's see what the bible ACTUALLY STATES.

• People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 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. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:9-12)
  

Can you see my friends that THE LOVE OF MONEY is A root of all kinds of evil. This is not the only root to all kinds of evil, it is just one of them. Also, rather, it is THE LOVE of money that is a root of all kinds of evil. Just because we might be a wealthy person, doesn't mean that it is an evil thing. However, if one of my primary aims in life was to try and get so rich and wealthy and at the same time have neglected more important things such as serving the Lord, my friends and family, then I have failed. As stated in the scripture, this has caused some people to wander from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs.

MISCONCEPTION: IN THE BIBLE THEY TELL US TO SELL EVERYTHING WE HAVE AND GIVE IT TO THE POOR (This statement once again has been misinterpreted by many). If this was the case, I won’t even bother saving up to buy a house, or saving up for anything for that matter. I might as well give everything away now and live on the street! Lets look at the passage and the context in which the Lord Jesus Christ said this:-

• As Jesus started on the way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good-except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honour your father and mother." "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus turned around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!" It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:17-27)
  

Can you see my friends, why Jesus told the young man to sell everything he had and then give it to the poor? This man loved money more than God, which is evident as he just could not let go of his possessions for the Lord. God must be placed first in our lives, not money, or anything else for that matter. In this case, this man’s desire for material things ranked higher than his relationship with God. Some non-Christians have regarded the statement "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." applying to ALL people. This statement was FOR THE YOUNG MAN ONLY. This is because Jesus knew that his love of money was hindering him from seeking first God's kingdom and His righteousness. If the man did however, choose to sell all his possessions and follow Jesus, his life would have been much more fruitful for God's kingdom. This passage also serves as a warning to us Christians – if at any time, money, or something else is placed first in our lives, our relationship with God is severed.

• Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (Timothy 6:17-19)
  

Some people have the idea that being rich is a sin (such sentiment tends to stem from feelings of jealousy, insecurity or perhaps, being hurt by someone “rich”, and thus the harboring of such ill-feelings and the making of such sweeping statements). Such thinking is wrong. You may say, well Mr X does not deserve to be rich or Mrs Y made her money dishonestly or Miss Z comes from rich parents why couldn't I? But who are you to condemn or be envious of them? If they are not righteous in God's eyes, they will be reap their reward accordingly on Judgment Day. Will you still be envious of them when they are thrown out into outer darkness?

To the rich people out there, you have been COMMANDED not to be arrogant or proud about it, for if you did, you have attempted to seek glory for yourself which is a sin in itself. Furthermore, the Lord abhors pride and the proud. Your first downfall would be to be proud. It is of course worse to be proud and place your faith in your material possessions. You have no justification to claim to be better than someone else, because you are equally a sinner and need the redeeming grace of our Lord Jesus Christ – your wealth, or good deeds for that matter, cannot buy your salvation. Salvation, my friends, is only found by embracing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Rich people, you have also been COMMANDED to do good, just like the rest of us, and to BE RICH IN GOOD DEEDS, and to BE GENEROUS and WILLING TO SHARE. So, to my rich friends out there, how do we know if we are doing these things which we have been commanded to do? Just because you give away money to those in need (this is just one way in helping someone) WILL NOT BE ENOUGH for you to be saved and enter the kingdom of Heaven just because you have been generous and willing to share your wealth. You must also be rich in good deeds and YOUR INTENT in doing all these acts must be deemed right in the eyes of God. I cannot emphasize this enough, but before doing all these good things, YOU MUST embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and obey his commands or else all these things you do will be done in vain. So what is a good deed? Just ask yourself, are the deeds you do 'loving your neighbor as thyself', and if so, what is the basis of your intent in doing so? Is it for self glory or to reveal to them the love of God through your works? If you are doing works accordingly and deemed good in the eyes of God, you will have treasures in heaven, and inherit life that is TRULY life because of your faith and obedience in our dear Lord Jesus.

• Then Jesus said to this host, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luke 14:12-14)
  

Jesus told this to a Pharisee that had invited him to eat at his place. So what does it mean, does it mean that we shouldn't ever invite our friends, relatives or rich neighbors over our place for a meal? Certainly not! These few verses contrast the act of inviting friends, brothers, relatives and rich neighbors for a meal between the act of inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind (ie the people 'in need') using a hyperbole. Let's picture a simple example, say I invited a friend over for dinner. It is most likely that he would probably invite me back for dinner some time or another, would he not? I'm not saying that our intent should be, 'You invite me, I invite you' or 'I pay the food bill at the restaurant this time, you pay next time', because we SHOULD NOT be expecting to be repaid, but rather that it is likely that our friends and the people that we know would probably invite us for a meal sometime in our lives. The point is, can you see that in a true friendship, friends help each other out whether we expect to be repaid or not. On the contrary, let's look at another scenario. Say this time, I hold a free banquet for people to help out for charity. Such people, well most of them, I probably won't ever see again right? These people would not be able to pay me back after I have held this meal for them as we probably wouldn't be seeing them again as people come and go to different places and is a once off meet. Through this act of love, I will not be able to be 'repaid' by these people...but I have not went away unrewarded. Why? Because I have been and will be blessed by God at the resurrection of the righteous. He will reward me. This passage does not just apply to just food and money or whatever but instead is talking about doing good deeds as the Lord has commanded us, 'to love thy neighbor as thyself'. This passage contrasts the difference in inviting our friends and people we know compared to others that we may not necessarily know, the sick, the poor etc... and shows us that people do not go unrewarded in whatever deeds they do, whether it be reward from man or reward from God. The reward from God obviously is far greater and better than the reward from man because treasure in heaven are treasures where no thief comes near and no moth destroys hence why the bible states it like this; "do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid".

• Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the Lord?" Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8-9)
  

It is stated, 'give me only my daily bread'. So what does this verse mean? If we look at it carefully, we realize that this proverb is not just talking about the earthly riches and wealth God has given us but EVERYTHING that he has given us. This includes things such as skills, talents, looks, attributes etc... What we should ask God is to give us what He deems is enough for us. For example, if we are too rich, we may disown the Lord due to our pride and false sense of power and so on. Temptation lurks when we have too little or too much of certain things whether it be riches or anything that God has given us.

• I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Luke 16:9)
  

This verse is about using our resources to win people for God's kingdom. Money, doesn't buy people, but when used correctly to help people in need, they can see God working. For example, if God has given me much, and I know someone needs cash, and the Lord directs me to give that person the cash they needs, I will do so. That person receiving such practical help will also know it is divine intervention...especially if the resources have been given in the right attitude and spirit...this is how friends are gained. They see God's love through one who can allocate God's resources. Respect as an exemplary Christian is earned. Yes, the command of your loving your neighbor is a broad command - encompassing many things - helping them as God would want you to is one way of loving your neighbor, and if such help is financial, so be it.

• Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:32-34)
  

This verse teaches in parallel and emphasizes the one above. It revolves around the love for our neighbor through our good works and generosity with the correct intent. Bear in mind that this passage does NOT SAY 'Go, sell EVERYTHING you have and give to the poor' as Jesus was telling the rich man as explained earlier. These two verses have very different points being told. The rich man placed his trust in worldly wealth hence why Jesus told him to sell everything to destroy that barrier that prevented him from entering the kingdom of God whereas 'Sell your possessions and give to the poor' focuses on loving our neighbor by being generous and sharing with those in need along with other good deeds to reveal to them the love of God through our deeds. "Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." What this verse means is do not invest your time solely into just trying to earn wealth and get rich but invest in a purse (ie treasure in heaven) that can NEVER be destroyed, whereby no-one can even attempt to steal, destroy or ruin. If your heart is placed in God, that is where your treasures will be found(in the kingdom of heaven). If you heart is placed in money and wealth, your heart will belong on this earth, and not in God...

• What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? (Luke 9:25)
• Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (Proverbs 11:4)
• Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28)
  

These verses above clearly tell us to put our faith in God, not in riches. We are only made righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ, and by no other way. Even if the world was your oyster, once you die on this earth, what use can your riches do for you? Can you purchase righteousness from God? Such people that place their trust in worldly riches WILL NOT enter the kingdom of heaven.

One last thing I would like to talk about is whether we can purchase the gifts of God and salvation with money. You probably know the answer already...but let's just have a look at the following passage anyway:-

• Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But when they believed Phillip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Phillip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter answered, "May your money perish with you, because you thought that you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part of share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me." (Acts 8:9-24)

As we study Simon's character, it is said that he boasted that he was someone great. When we see this, we ask ourselves, why is he boasting that he is someone great? Well, Simon wanted glory for himself and the praises of men to make him feel good about himself. "When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."" With this in mind, we see that the only reason Simon wanted this 'ability' was so that it would make him look more great in the eyes of men instead of giving glory to God. And to top this all off, he thought that he could actually purchase it with monetary wealth. Peter, knowing Simon's intentions, has clearly warned him to repent of such sinful thoughts as the kingdom of God does not belong to such people. Instead of seeking glory for yourself, we should give glory to the God, the one whom has given us the Gift of Salvation. The gift of Salvation comes through only by faith in Jesus Christ and accepting Him as Lord and Savior. If the gift of God was only available at a certain price, say a million dollars, then many people would not be able to afford it. God wouldn't be a fair God then, would He, if this were to be the case. Isn't it stated in the bible that salvation is offered to ALL people, both the Jews and Gentiles that embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior through faith? Can you see who we place as our first love in our lives is very, very important. Our FIRST AND FOREMOST LOVE CANNOT be placed in money, or our family, or our friends, or in whatever things but in God. We cannot take any worldly possessions with us when we die, whatever they may be. We came into this world naked, so also, will we also be when we leave this world...