What the Bible Says About Money

There are many ways God wants us to use and to earn money, because everything we have is from God anyway.

It’s All God’s

There are many ways God wants us to use and to earn money, because everything we have is from God anyway. The Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian church that it all belongs to God by asking the rhetorical question, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it” (1 Cor 4:7)? If we give anything, we’re only giving what was given to us in the first place.

Feeding the Poor

When we give to the poor, we’re actually giving to ourselves. That’s what Proverbs19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Besides, this is what Jesus sees as doing it unto Himself (Matt 25:37) and says, “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt 25:40). Besides, we own nothing (1st Cor 4:7); we are only stewards.

Spreading the Gospel

When we support churches or ministries that spread the gospel, we’re sowing money into the kingdom work of Christ. We are to be the hands, feet, arms, legs, ears, eyes, and mouth of Christ, and this means we’re to go into all the world, but since most of us can’t go into “all the world” (Matt 28:19), but don’t forget to go next door and we can support those who do go into all the world. In this way, we can help those who proclaim the gospel by supporting them like Aaron and Hur supported Moses’ arms during a battle (Ex 17:12).

Generous Impulses

I remember a pastor saying, “Never resist a generous impulse.” One day he was standing behind a single mother of two as she was checking out her groceries. The woman was fishing for change in her purse because she was almost three dollars short, so the pastor went up to the cashier and handed her a twenty dollar bill. The woman saw what the pastor did, and not knowing who he was, she started crying. He made her day and helped out a single mother who was overwhelmed enough with trying to raise two children on her own. This pastor had a generous impulse and followed through on it, and while most people might suppress this feeling or impulse to help, he didn’t, so I suggest, never resist a generous impulse. God may be using you to help someone else for Christ.

God or Money

We can serve God with our money but we can’t serve God and money. Money can become like a god since it provides all our needs, gives us security for the future, and can allow us the blessings of life, but Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). You cannot love both equally. Only one will have your heart.

Quick Riches

There’s a reason most of us have to work long and hard to earn money…it’s the honest way. There are no short cuts. Any promise of “easy money” is almost always going to be a scam. The Bible warns us that “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it” (Proverbs 13:11). The Devil’s always in a hurry…God never is. Slow but steady is the way to save and earn your wealth, but not so we’d hoard it, but that we’d be a blessing to others.

Loving Money

If you’ve come into a lot of money, it’s tempting to count it. When we look at the balance of our bank account and see comfortable numbers, we can easily become complacent in our spiritual lives, but Solomon’s wisdom tells us that “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). When you ask a rich person how much is enough, it’s almost always, “Just a little bit more.”

Be on Guard

Jesus wants us to be on our guard against covetousness. You can become covetous when you start looking around and comparing what others have that you do not, but why do we always look at those who have more? If we’d look at those who have less, covetousness might not capture our hearts so easily. Jesus said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Jesus knew that money and the love of money would control us in many circumstances.

Wandered from the Faith

You would think that being blessed by having a lot of money would keep you in the faith and not wander from the faith. Especially seeing how God has blessed you. You’d naturally want to give more…right? Not so fast, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim 6:10). When we come to possess a lot of money, there is the danger that a lot of money can possess us.

Where’s Your Treasure?

Hoarding wealth or accumulating wealth for the future is not wise in God’s eyes. One man did that and even built bigger barns, but his very soul was required that night, and all his wealth went to another. Don’t let money capture your heart, but let your heart capture Christ…then money won’t seem so important anymore.

A Clinched Fist

One of the best ways to see if your heart is where your treasure is would be to look at your checkbook ledger. Is there rarely anything given to charities or the local church or even those you know who are poor? Where does most of the money go? After car payments, insurance premiums, and house rent or house payments, where does most of your (and my) money go? Jesus reminds us to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:20), and know for sure that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21).

Too Many Toys

The bumper sticker that says, “The one who dies with the most toys wins,” is tragic because if they die without Christ, they have lost everything! I have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul. The dead cannot take anything with them. It is as Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). If you find that you are stressing over too many payments, could it be that you have too many toys. Is it necessary to have the latest flat screen TV? Do we really need to have the newest car or computer? Of, just fill in the blank. Solomon warned that “the borrower is the slave of the lender” (Prov 22:7).

Cause of Friction

One waring sign about money loving money too much is when it becomes a point of contention, thereby becoming the dominant force in the marriage. Money can shred that “threefold cord” of God, the husband, and the wife, and insert itself into a marriage as its own “god.” Money can be a root of all sorts of evil (1st Tim 6:10). If we own a lot of possessions, our possessions can own us. When arguments begin to surface over money issues, it’s time to assess your love of money or your spouse’s devotion to it.

Obsessions With Money

I had a friend who was so devoted to work that he was fairly rich. Sadly, his family actually suffered from it. What he thought he was doing for them, by working long hours, was actually taking him away from his family for long hours. That left it to his wife to run a household and try to raise three young boys, two of which were teens. As you can imagine, his marriage was ruined. He tried to make amends, but it was too late. The damage had been done. The man’s intention was to help his family have financial security, which is okay in itself, but when it becomes an obsession, and means time away from the family, then it might be because you love money too much. We all have tainted money…it taint’ ours…its God’s!

The Paper Chase

I am not just writing this to others; I am writing to myself. There is a real and present danger for all of us. Anyone can fall into the trap of pursing money. The old “paper chase” has brought down many a good man and woman. It just isn’t worth it. Our money can’t buy another minute or let us go back to when our child first learned to walk, so if you see you’ve got a clinched fist, too many toys, get into arguments over money, and are devoted to chasing money through work rather than serving God and your family, you obviously love your money too much. They say money talks, but for most of us it says, “Bye bye.”

Conclusion

I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: 6 Bible Scriptures About Financial Troubles With Commentary

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: giving, Love of Money, Money, Stewards