Money

The world is full of things competing for our attention. Everywhere we look, we see things that seem to call out to us saying, “Buy me!” or, “You need me!” Material possessions can lure us in so strongly that we start purchasing things that may not have been on our financial radar. And before we know it, we’re in a toxic relationship with money and possessions, and we don’t know how to get out of it. This is “normal” living for many people.

This normal way of spending and managing our money doesn’t leave us in a good place. For example, it’s normal to spend every bit of our income and not save any money for emergencies. It’s also common to go into debt and never pay things off. It’s “normal” to think that as long as we can afford the payment, we’re good.

The Bible actually has a lot to say on the topic of money. In fact, it’s one of the most talked about subjects in the entire book! A couple of things the Bible tells us about money is that it won’t satisfy us (Ecclesiastes 5:10), and that when wealth is gained quickly, it’ll dwindle quickly (Proverbs 13:11). 

In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus teaches about money and warns us against accumulating worldly “treasures.” Instead, He challenges us to acquire “heavenly” treasures, because they never end and can never be destroyed. Jesus tells us that our heart will follow where we’ve placed our treasure. His final and most powerful exhortation to us is that we “can’t serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24 NLT).

We can keep doing what we see displayed in most of the world, or we can make changes and live better than normal. 

Normal focuses on accumulating, while better than normal gives to others.
Normal allows money to lead, while better than normal seeks to be led by God.
Normal keeps 100% of our income, while better than normal trusts God with 90%.
Normal doesn’t think ahead, while better than normal lives by a plan.
Normal is enslaved to debt, while better than normal saves to pay in full.
Normal thinks of today, while better than normal invests for the future.

Money isn’t a bad thing by itself, but when we allow it to be our god, it can wreak havoc in our lives. The money we earn should be something we use and not something that uses or controls us. 

What if we adjusted our normal mindset to have a better than normal one? Spend some time thinking through your relationship with money and see what needs to be changed.

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

Proverbs 3:9

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.

Proverbs 22:7

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:19-24

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.

1 Timothy 6:10

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5