Money is neither good or evil, but instead it is a tool to be used for good or evil. Many times we look at others that we perceive to make or have more money than us and we are quick to judge either how they spend or even save the money that has been intrusted to their care. Even as we judge them, we spend every dime that we make on ourselves justifying our selfish spending on our "lack of income". I know I have found myself there, and I'm sure you have too. The irony is that it is our own love of money that leads us to think another has a love of money.
What kinds of evil are we talking about? Here are a few:
- Envy - Our love of money can lead us to envy another person's wealth and possessions. This can manifest itself in a small way like changing a relationship with a person we envy all the way to taking, through force or coersion (usually through government), the wealth of one who earned it to give to ourselves or others who did not earn it. Envy can lead to some dark places and was one motivating factor that led to the Nazi concentration camps. They blamed the Jews for their economic hardship and took their possessions, and ultimately their lives.
- Oppression - This is on the opposite end of the spectrum from envy. For those who have accumulated many worldly possessions (This is more typical in people with high incomes that spend wildly and almost exclusively on themselves), they will be tempted to manipulate (through gifts and bribes) and even enslave (through giving loans) others to be used for their own purposes. This can get to the point of using their money, power, and influence to get special favors or to hurt another individual. This is the prominent view of the rich throughout history.
- Pride - Whether we have much or little, we can begin to trust in money and stop trusting in God. When we begin to view what God has given us as ours, it is just a short descent to trusting in ourselves or our money as our source of security. Remember that it could all come crashing down tomorrow as many of us have learned in the current recession.
How do we avoid the love of money? Contentment and trust. Be content with what you have been given. If you are content, others possessions will not matter because you are still content without them. The interesting thing is, the more content you are, the more money you will accumulate. Trust in God alone and look to Him as your provider. This is not a license to spend everything on yourself or even give to the detriment of your family in order to "trust" God more. Instead acknowledge him as the owner of all and know that he will provide all that you need. The starting point of trusting God is through tithing (giving God back 10% of your income). This is the first step of trusting God as your provider and until you begin tithing, you can never fully trust God.
The question is, are you content and are you trusting in God?
I LOVE this concept of tithing conveying AND building our trust in God. As a long-time tither I thought I'd learned this concept long ago, but just this past week God brought it back to mind in a new, fresh way to me. This weekend I was tempted to go into work to get more done after a disappointing production week & God nudged me with a reminder that I'd done my best and prayed my way through & that I should trust Him with my time - He designed seasons of work and seasons of rest and I needed to trust Him enough to honor that & let Him take care of the rest. It was a powerful moment for me and one I a distinctive echo of the lessons learned as an early tither. Take the leap of faith, friends, He's trustworthy & it takes a lot of the worry out of life!
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