Proper Views On Money

Proper Views On Money

“Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die : Keep falsehood and lies far from me ; give me neither poverty nor riches , but give me only my daily bread . Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say ‘ who is the Lord ?’ Or I may become poor and steal , and so dishonor the name of my God.”

Proverbs 30:7 to 9

Our view and attitude about money could make or break us . Once you have plenty of money, it is such a natural tendency to find security in it. It is a natural tendency to put your trust in it. Solomon said wealth is a fortified city of the rich but that is just an illusion. “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city ; they imagine it on unscalable wall. “ Proverbs 18:11

Because riches are deceitful , it is important to see money truthfully the way God sees it.

1) Our views of the rich and poor:

Being rich is not necessarily a sign of favor from the Lord. Many people living in wickedness are prosperous. Many immorals are materially well off and successful by this world standard. There are cases where wealth came as a blessing from the Lord. One way of honoring the Lord with your wealth is through giving of your tithes. It has a promise of blessing from the Lord. By giving your tithes, you are acknowledging that everything you have earned comes from the Lord. Be reminded of what is written in Proverbs 3:9-10; “ Honor the Lord with your wealth , with the firstfruits of all your crops ; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

There are cases where wealth comes through evil means such as by oppressing the poor. This is evident in the lives of some of the rich capitalists. They gave very minimal compensation for their workers while their profits continue to increase. Another evil means is through usury or imposing excessive interests on loans. Another is through ruthlessness such as corruption which is evident in the lives of many politicians in the Philippines.

There are also many godly people in the Bible who live as poor such as Elijah, John the Baptist, Paul and even Jesus, Being rich is not necessarily a sign of favor from the Lord. We must resist any tendency to be partial in favor of the rich and looks down on the poor.We must be constantly reminded of what is written in Proverbs 14:21: ”He who despises his neighbor sins but blessed is he who is kind to the needy .” The Lord cares about the way we treat the poor and needy. Always remember what is written in Proverbs 14 : 31; “ He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for the maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Be reminded of Proverbs 19:17; He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done. “

Being poor likewise is not a sign of favor from the Lord. Poverty may be caused by evil things found in a person such as laziness, vices, stinginess, lack of patience and desire to get rich quickly. We must not neglect to see both rich and poor as human beings who have souls and are accountable to God.

2) Our views on the value of money:

Remember what money cannot do:

Money cannot give lasting happiness. Money can buy you momentary pleasures but these pleasures do not guarantee lasting happiness.

Money cannot be trusted. You cannot rest your perfect security in money for it is not the answer to everything.

Money cannot last. Money is just temporal. Its value is only up to this life. It has no value beyond the grave.

Money cannot buy eternity. Money cannot make us live forever. There were already many very rich people who failed to extend their life inspite of their great riches.

Money cannot deliver us from the wrath and judgement of God.

Always remember what is better than money:

The fear of the Lord is better than money. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and will lead you to eternity in the Kingdom of God.

Healthy family relationships are better than money. A prosperous family but if members are hating each other, this family is miserable.

A good name and a good testimony is better than money. A dignified name is a great treasure.

Faithfulness and integrity is better than money. These virtues brings great honor to a person rather than money.

Concluding Thoughts :

God is the true source of wealth and He is the one who gives us opportunities and capabilities to produce wealth. We should always honor God with our wealth through our tithes. No matter how much our wealth increase, we should never put our confidence nor security in it for in doing such will break us. Our source of security should remain in the Lord. We should always be thankful for whatever provision the Lord has given us , either in abundance or little. We should always be reminded that money is not the answer to everything. When we are blessed with abundance, we should not forget to be a blessing to others who are in need. God blessed us with wealth to be a blessing. If we are generous, the Lord will bless us more. We should never be stingy in dealing with money. But we should also exercise wisdom in handling money. Money is God’s provision to sustain us but need not be the answer to everything. As Christians we should never be money-centered but kingdom centered people. God will bless us more if we focus on His Kingdom as it is written in Matthew 6:33 ; “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.