My Daily Pause

Christ and the Rich Young Ruler – 1889 – Heinrich Hofmann (1824–1911)

If the Bible doesn’t mention money more than any other subject, it certainly addresses it more than most other things that affect our spirituality:

• You cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24)
• She gave out of her poverty (Mark 12:41-44)
• Be content with your pay (Luke 3:14)
• Count the cost (Luke 14:28)
• Your money perish with you! (Acts 8:20)
• The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10)

… and lots more!

The rich young man found out that his money was going to block his access to eternal life. (Matthew 19:16-30) Notice that Jesus never said that having the money is what going to keep him out of the kingdom of God. What made entry impossible for the young man was his attachment to the wealth.

Prioritizing money is not just a problem for those that have gained excessive financial wealth. (I’ll leave it to you to define that.) It can be just as much of a hindrance for those of us with modest means and even those without enough. There is plenty that can be said about How to Get Rich and How to Get Enough, but Jesus made it pretty simple: you can’t be with God if he is not your priority! (Matthew 19:25-26)

What are some ways you can improve your money handling that glorifies God?

Greed has two daughters
named ‘Give’ and ‘Give.’

There are three things that are never satisfied,
really four that never say, ‘I’ve had enough!’:
the cemetery, the childless mother,
the land that never gets enough rain,
and fire that never says, ‘I’ve had enough!’ – Proverbs 30:15-16 NCV

A lot of people who are already wealthy, spend too much time trying to gain more wealth. All of that time wasted and they will never know how to be rich! Focusing on material things has no end except the kind of greed and covetousness described here. Paul recommended that we flee these things and “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11).

It is best to concentrate on contentment, learn to be generous, grow from godliness. When you do, the spiritual void in your heart shrinks. There will no longer be a need to fill it with things that do not have everlasting substance (1 Timothy 6:6-8). Imagine getting everything you ever wanted by giving away as much as you can! (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

A faithful man will abound with blessings
but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.– Proverbs 28:20 ESV

If you are looking for the riches that will not rust away, stressing a life of kindness and concern for others is the key. Paul taught against making the accumulation of wealth a priority (1 Timothy 6:6-10) and through his example showed us how to be content no matter the circumstances (Philippians 4:11-13). It takes a special mindset to know when you have enough.

Look at the story of the Rich Young Ruler. He wasn’t lost because he had some money, he was lost because he valued it above all else (Luke 18:18-27). We know God doesn’t mind his children becoming rich – when Solomon asked God only for wisdom, he loved what was in Solomon’s heart so much,  God granted him that and possibly unlimited personal wealth as a bonus.

Putting God at the top is the first step. The rest will take care of itself.

 godliness with contentment is great gain. – 1 Timothy 6:6