What is a proper perspective toward money? - Money - TouchPoints

Matthew 6:21“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

The Bible mentions many wealthy people who loved God while saying nothing negative about the amount of wealth they owned (Abraham, David, Joseph of Arimathea, and Lydia, for example). Scripture doesn’t focus on how much money we can or cannot have, but rather on what we do with it. Jesus made one thing clear: Wherever our money goes, our hearts will follow after. We can work hard and succeed without guilt; but we must make sure to work just as hard finding ways to spend our money for God’s Kingdom.

Psalm 23:1The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

Ecclesiastes 5:10Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!

Money can cultivate a dangerous craving—the more we have, the more we want. It is a vicious cycle that never has a satisfactory conclusion. Money can never satisfy our deepest needs, but God can. We must take care to keep him first in our hearts.

Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Luke 18:22-23When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.

The love of money will invariably get our priorities out of line. The more we have, the more time we must spend to manage it, and, thus, the more important it becomes to us. This doesn’t always happen to those with lots of money, but it tends to happen if we don’t watch for it and work hard against it.

Psalm 119:36Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money!

1 Timothy 6:10The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Hebrews 13:5Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is!

Deuteronomy 8:17-18“He [the Lord] did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.”

Wealth and prosperity should not be our goals, nor are they definitive signs of God’s blessing—many who are poor are rich in other ways. Prosperity, when given by God, is to be received with gratitude and humility, and it is to be shared with gracious hospitality and generosity.

Hebrews 13:5Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Our greatest security comes not from what we have, but from the fact that God has us.

Proverbs 11:28Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.

Isaiah 55:2Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.

John 4:10, 13-14Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” . . . Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Often, we buy things to try to fill a void or a need in our lives. The Bible tells how to acquire a deep and lasting happiness that always satisfies.

Proverbs 19:1Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.

Mark 8:36“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”

No amount of money is worth deception or dishonesty. Taking advantage of others to make money is stealing. Those who do this lose far more than they could ever gain.

Matthew 6:28-33“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Matthew 7:9-11“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

Philippians 4:11-13Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:19This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Sometimes, honest, hardworking Christians hit financial difficulties—perhaps a car accident, a layoff. Unforeseen medical expenses or a natural disaster can empty our bank accounts and challenge our faith. The feelings of helplessness and uncertainty this creates may be terrifying, especially if others are dependent on us. In such times, we can take comfort in our heavenly Father, who promises to care for his children.

Psalm 37:4Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

The Bible promises that God will supply all our needs. The problem comes when our definition of “need” is different from God’s. If we desire him above all else, we will learn to long for what he longs for—and he will surely give that to us!

1 Timothy 4:4-5Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.

All things are good if received with gratitude and enjoyment in Christ. We will find joy in them, especially if we put them to use in serving God and sharing with others.

Matthew 19:23-24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Luke 8:11, 14-15“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. . . . The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”

1 Timothy 6:6-10True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Our desires for money and worldly goods can become a deep temptation. Faithfulness often brings success, and success can sometimes bring a measure of financial reward. On the one hand, we understand that money is neither good nor bad, but simply a neutral medium of exchange. On the other hand, money represents wealth, power, and status. As such, it can wield extraordinary power over our lives. Jesus goes so far as to identify money as a potential rival to God. Money, like natural resources, material goods, and time itself, is ours to be used for the glory of God, not to take the place of God.