By David ReayTuesday 9 May 2017LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read 1 Timothy 6:9-10
9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (NRSV)
Let’s face it, money can be a wonderful blessing. We can enjoy many things, embrace many experiences, find great comfort in having money. It really can be one of God’s good gifts to us. Lack of it can cause problems.
And yet we so often need to be reminded of the biblical warnings about money. Jesus repeatedly warned against relying on it for ultimate security. He, like Paul, saw it as a snare. The love of it, the overvaluing of it, could cause us to look to it as our ultimate goal. Which of course it is to so many people.
There are three questions we put to ourselves in relation to money. One is to ask how we got it. Was it through fair and honest means or did it involve our treating others unjustly? Another question is to ask what we are doing with it. Are we using it to bless others or merely to accumulate luxuries for ourselves?
The third question goes deeper. What is our money doing to us? Is it diverting us from reliance on God? Is it causing us to focus too much on material wealth and possessions? Is it making us greedy or selfish? Is it shaping the way we act and speak and vote?
We can do a lot of good with the money we have, but we need to be aware that it can also do a lot of harm to us.
Blessings
David Reay