Food for thought. What words come to mind when you think of this phrase: The love of money is the root of all evil. Greed? Corruption? Vanity? What about when I simply say the word money? Do those descriptors still come to mind or do you think of ways that money can be useful – payment for hard work, tool for doing good, a transfer of value. The truth is that money in itself isn’t evil. The phrase “money is the root of all evil” is a misinterpretation of the scripture in 1 Timothy 6:10. 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. Money Vs. The Love of Money – Which one is evil? Money isn’t any more evil than a car or fire is evil. Let me explain: Car accidents claimed 32,708 deaths in 2010. House fires claimed 2,640 deaths in 2010. Cars and fire aren’t evil in and of themselves. The reasons behind the car accidents and house fires may be caused lack of judgment, poor safety precautions, or pure accident. The point is that a lot of things can be misused and cause tragedy, but they’re not evil in their very nature. Money in itself is not evil. Paul even tells Timothy to encourage people to use their money to do good things (1 Timothy 6:18). Cars and fires are used every day to do very good things – the same is true about money. The problem comes when we start to love money. The Love Of Money How we view, pursue, treat, use, and think of money will help us to understand if we love money. But what does it mean to love money? First, think about what it means to love someone. You make them a priority in your life. You would do anything for them. You’d go out of your way for that person. You trust in them, and rely on them for comfort and support. Loving money doesn’t just mean that you’re a wealthy miser who hoards riches away in a mansion on a hill. It simply means that you make it a priority in your life to pursue wealth. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich, poor, or in between – putting your trust in money and looking for fulfillment in worldly wealth means that you have a love for money. So How Do We Keep From Loving Money? Ones who love money: They run after things. (Matthew 6:31-32) They are greedy for money. (1 Peter 5:2) They are eager to get rich. (I Timothy 6:9) They think godliness is a means to financial gain. (1 Timothy 6:3-5) They place their hope and security in wealth. (1 Timothy 6:17) They lose all contentment. (Hebrews 13:5) One who puts their trust in God: They believe in God’s Word. (Psalm 1:1) They believe it’s more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) They believe in serving God only. (Matthew 6:24) They realize they are small compared to God. (Luke 14:11) They are faithful with the small things. (Luke 16:11) They believe in eternal rewards. (Luke 18:29-30) This challenges us to think about the phrase The love of money is the root of all evil. It causes us to really look at our roots and ask the tough question – do we put money above everything else in our lives?
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 01:10:54 +0000
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