The Love of Money

The Love of Money

David King.

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:9-10).
At the outset, let us first exonerate money of any blame in this passage. Whatever role money may play in the downfall of men, the money itself cannot be faulted. Money is morally neutral, and can be used for great good, as well as evil. The problem here is not the money itself, but the attitude of those who would have it. The love of money is under consideration here, not money itself. A man can be as poor as the proverbial church mouse and still be guilty of the crime, if his heart is in the grip of greed.
The love of money, Paul says, is “a root of all kinds of evil.” Not the root, for there are other sources of temptation in this life. And not all evil, for there is much evil that has nothing to do with money. Paul is saying that the tentacles of this temptation affect a wide range of human activity. The desire for money, for example, can lead a salesman to misrepresent a product and cheat a customer. It can cause a family to tear itself apart over an inheritance. It can seduce a husband and father to take a “better” job that requires he neglect his family. It can corrupt a politician or judge’s ability to rule with fairness and impartiality. The love of money can destroy businesses, drive up crime rates, start wars, and lead entire nations away from God.
The irony here is that all this damage is done while chasing something that we think will bring us happiness and contentment. “If I only had more” is the mantra that fuels our dissatisfaction with our current lot in life. Once we convince ourselves that we are deprived, we naturally begin looking for ways to rectify the imbalance. It’s easy to convince ourselves that we “deserve” more, and to justify the shaving of corners to achieve our goal. We become blind to the longer-term consequences of our decisions, excusing our behavior with promises of all the good we can do once we achieve our objective. Of course, the promises rarely pan out. Greed becomes a cancer that continues to feed upon its host until it kills.
The cure for this terrible disease is contentment, the ability to find satisfaction in one’s current condition, however humble. The apostle Paul suffered many deprivations in his life, yet he wrote, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Phil. 4:11). His happiness was not tied to his net worth, but to his relationship with God. Once he trained his heart to think in those terms, his financial condition ceased to be all that important. His life became a conduit for good to others, rather than a struggle with temptation.
Does this mean I should refuse the next pay raise I am offered in my job? Of course not. Rich people are not necessarily greedy people, and if God blesses you with a good job and abundant income, accept it with humility and thankfulness. Focus on using your good fortune to serve others, rather than selfishly hoarding it for yourself. Love the good that can be done with money, rather than the money itself. (http://letjesusleadus.org/)