“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” – 1 Timothy 6:10
Money itself is neither good nor bad. It’s a tool. And, it’s a responsibility entrusted to each person by God, Who owns everything. What matters with money is what we do with it and how we think about it. Do you use it to provide for and bless God’s people and to build His kingdom here on earth? Or do you use it for selfish or sinful purposes? How do you think about it? Do you consider it to be a gift from God to be used for His glory? Or is it an end in itself that you are pursuing?
That is what Paul warns about here – when money goes from being a tool and a blessing to an unhealthy goal being pursued simply to have more. He talking about when our passion for money and its ability to control our emotions becomes more important to us than God (whether we realize it or not). When our sense of identity is rooted in whether we have money or not. When our sense of security depends on whether we have money or not. When we believe our happiness based on getting more money or having “enough”. When we trust that our problems would simply go away if we just had a bit more.
When we begin thinking this way, we’ve put money on a throne and given it a responsibility for our life that it can NEVER fulfill. We have, accidentally or intentionally, put it in the place of God. The truth is that our sense of identity should be rooted in the reality of being God’s beloved child, adopted when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Our security should be rooted in His constant love, presence, and power. Our happiness should flow out of our relationship with Jesus Christ. And our problems will only go away, or at least matter much less, as we delight in our union with Christ and anticipate our problem-free eternity with Him.
Many Christians in our culture have accidentally replaced God with money without even realizing it. Has it happened to you? Take time to reflect on how much time and energy you put into thinking about money, worrying about money, desiring more money, or hustling for more money. Think about money’s power to affect your emotions. Does it make or break your day. Have you accidentally fallen into the love of money? If so, re-commit yourself to simply #FollowJesus