5/9/24
Money is a difficult thing to deal with. And it comes up quite a lot when talking with the college age crew. Most students are convinced that they don't have much money (for many of them that's true), and that one of the primary purposes of a college education is to set the stage for higher lifetime earnings. Many of the Christian students I talk with are conflicted. They want to make a lot of money, and that's a good thing. But they also wonder what their goals should be. Looking forward, we realize that the way we understand money can have a huge influence on happiness within a marriage and family. How is a Christian to think about money?
That's a really huge topic. I wish I could come up with a simple answer, especially for the young people who have asked me that question. In fact, there isn't one single simple answer. But we can find a few principles that may move us toward an answer.
First, wealth ultimately belongs to God. He owns everything that he created. Psalm 50:10 reflects on God's ownership of "the cattle on a thousand hills." There's nothing he needs from us, on the contrary, he is the one who gives us what we need (Matthew 6:11). He supplies the needs of his people, and shows himself to be the generous master of all.
Second, wealth in itself is not a bad thing. We recall notable examples of wealthy people in the Scripture. Job was a very rich man before his time of trial. Afterward, God restored to him even more than he had originally. Abraham was a very wealthy man, with extensive livestock and personnel attached to him. Jesus and the disciples met for the last supper in a large upper room of a house, something which would only be owned by a wealthy person. The list goes on and on. Though Christians need to be ready to live in poverty if that's their situation, we recognize that being wealthy is more desirable and makes it possible to pass the blessings of God on to others.
Third, though it's nice to have more wealth, money cannot be allowed to become our idol. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, chapter 6, he reminds Timothy that love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. We can enjoy wealth, but it can't be allowed to define us. If we are addicted to having more money, like being addicted to having more of anything, we set that concern up over our dedication to God. Proverbs 30:15 speaks of the insatiable nature of greed. It compares it to a leech, which is never satisfied. Back to Paul's letter to Timothy, he also says that godliness with contentment is great gain.
On a very practical level, I want to leave the topic with something a very wise young man told me once. He was admittedly a little dissatisfied with the status of his career. He wanted to earn more money. Why did he want to do that? Because he was not satisfied with the amount of charitable giving and action that he was able to do. He wanted to earn more so he could give more away.
Does money make you happy? In fact, if it does, you may be tempted to find your fulfillment in finances rather than in Christ. Does money make you more comfortable? It certainly can do that. Does having more money allow you to care for more people? Without a doubt.
The Christian needs to take care of attitudes toward money. It's a good thing, but can put our lives out of balance. Above all, we want to use what our Lord has given us for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor.