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PROGRAM D-8295
How much money do you need right now to solve all your problems? I wonder: Do you daydream about how good it would be if you just found a lot of money, or somebody left you a lot in their will, or you won the lottery?
It’s easy to think that more money would make life so much better—solve all your problems and take away all your fears. Money gets a hold on your heart faster than anything else, I think. The Bible says that money is the root of all evil, right? No, wrong! The Bible does not say that. I’m pointing out things we think the Bible says, but it really doesn’t, and it doesn’t say that money is the root of all evil, but rather that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
You see, you could be broke, homeless, and penniless and still be afflicted with this sin of loving money. In our consumer society where we judge success by how much you make and how much you own, money is on the throne of many people’s hearts—including Christians. It crawls up and takes over first place in your heart at the drop of a hat—fast and furious!
Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Greed is the poisonous fruit that comes from loving money—not necessarily from having money, just from loving it, wanting it.
When you think about it, greed is pride: It is that desire in us to show the world who we are by our status in life, our possessions, and our fame. Greed is also contagious: If you’re around people who have lots of things and who focus their life on getting more and more things, you’ll discover that it’s very difficult not to be swept right along into that greedy mindset for things. Furthermore, greed is cancerous: It grows fast, and it consumes and destroys everything it touches. No wonder Jesus said we must be on our guard against all kinds of greed!
Jesus went on to say that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. He said life is more than food or clothes; rather, life is peace and contentment. Those can’t be bought; they are found only in Jesus.
So, remember that loving money produces all kinds of greed, and greed will corrupt your heart and create many problems for you.