MONEY IS NOT THE PROBLEM

1 TIMOTHY 6:10 NKJ 
10 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. 

 This verse is one of the most misquoted and misunderstood verses in the Bible. Right there with, cleanliness is next to godliness. And heaven helps those who help themselves. Those last two are not even in the Bible.   

Verse ten is the culmination of verses three through nine. Here Paul is warning Timothy, and therefore us, that people would try to use the gospel for greedy motives and personal gain.   

Money is not the problem. It's the heart and attitude about money that's the problem.   

Greed is a problem. Doing whatever it takes, including lying and stealing to get money, is a problem. Thinking that money alone can make us happy is a problem. Putting money before God is a problem. It's the love of money that's the problem.   

Money is completely neutral. With one thousand dollars, you can buy drugs, or you can take that same one thousand dollars and feed the hungry. It's about who has the money and what they do with it. But money in itself is not the problem. 

One of the reasons Satan has sowed so much deception regarding money is because of its' potential. If you love money, it can cause you to move away from your faith in God. And if you love money, it can cause a boatload of sorrow in your life.   

But if you use money as a tool, instead of serving it as a god, you can do a whole lot of good. It takes money to spread the gospel, have a strong church, and bless a community. It takes money to run a home, start a business, keep a business and bless others. If money is evil, then why are we working so hard for it? Money is not the problem. 

APPLICATION: 

Joy and I have experienced being pretty much broke and living on the edge. And we have experienced abundance. Being poor did not make us more spiritual. Having an abundance did not turn our hearts away from God. I am all for abundance. For me and my family and for you and yours. I am for having an abundance of money, provided we do it God's way. If our heart for God is in the right place, money is not the problem. So having more of it only allows us greater freedom to expand God's kingdom and bless others. And that is certainly not a problem. 

PRAYER: 

Dear Father, show me how to have the right heart and the right thinking about money.