There is a lot of deception and distraction going on regarding the issue of money. A lot of people are of the opinion that Christians are meant to be poor. I used to think that way before I became a Christian and this is one of the reasons I was not willing to be a follower of Christ as a child, because I could not imagine living like a pauper all because I want to be a Christian.
This is however not what Got desires for His children. How can someone who owns everything desire that His children have nothing? God’s stand on the matter of money is that whoever has it in whatever quantity should have the knowledge of how to use it, hence the avoidance of abuse. Trusting in money is the problem, not having money itself.
It is said that “When the use of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable.” This statement is a perfect and insightful one when it comes to the issue of money. Money itself is not a bad thing, just as the world is not a bad place, else when God created the Heavens and the Earth, He would not have seen anything good in all that He made.
GENESIS 1 :31
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it wasvery good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
What is done with money is what makes it good or bad in the hand of the holder or possessor, just as the world can be said to be good or bad as a result of what man and any other creature of God makes out of the world.
The knowledge of money is important for anyone who wants to finish well and strong and at the end of life, reign with his or her Maker eternally. Having a perfect understanding of the fact that how we handle money can determine where we spend our eternity will make us consciousness of the fact that money is to be handled the way God wants us to handle it.
MATTHEW 19:23
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Most of the time, people talk about just that verse of the Bible above and conclude that the rich will find it difficult to make Heaven. This is not absolutely true, based on the fact that there was a reason for which Jesus made that statement , yet we overlook that reason and dwell on the conclusion of the matter only.
Let us take a look at a Biblical reason for which it is difficult for the rich to make it to Heaven when their life is over.
MATTHEW 19:16- 25
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?”
The problem Jesus had with this young man was not because he had so much possessions or riches, the issue Jesus was trying to help him deal with was in the fact that he trusted in his possessions, so much he felt letting go of it will make him less of who he has always been.
Even the disciples dwelt on the part where Jesus said it is going to be difficult for the rich to make Heaven when they heard those Words. But they failed to look at it from the angle of the young wealthy man not willing to give away all that he had for the sake of following Jesus , which actually meant using the money and all his possessions for Kingdom work, which is the same way we fail to realize the true meaning of the Words that Jesus spoke in this Scripture.
Looking at the life of the young wealthy man that was mentioned in the Scripture above, he had kept the law, by religiously following the Mosaic law, but he himself knew from his heart that there was still something missing, which is the reason he wanted to know what he could do to inherit the Kingdom of God. This tells us that we all have our conscience and know when we are doing right as expected or not.
If you think the money or possessions you have is for you, considering that you earned it anyway, and even God cannot request that you give it all up for His use, your knowledge of money is faulty and needs to be corrected, because the truth is you trust in Money.
This was the situation this man found himself in. He calculated with his head how much time, effort, and every other thing that he had put into gathering so much, and now he was being told to let go of it all!
Let us always remember that we actually own nothing, but God gives us the grace to be in charge of somethings that He can actually request that we use in anyway that pleases Him, at any point in time. The moment we find it difficult to do as He requests at the time that He does, we have placed that thing above God and this makes such a thing an Idol in our lives, hence the reason for which a lot of people, including Christians are caught up in the trap of the love of money, which is the root cause of all kinds of evil in Marriages, Businesses, Political and Spiritual institutions, Etc.
If the statement left the disciples “greatly astonished”, according to (Matthew 19:23-25), because they did not understand the barrier that wealth presents to genuinely walking with Christ and growing in His knowledge as long as our understanding of the use of money is that which says “My money is all about me and I can decide to use it as I please”, even as Christians, we will constantly abuse money and give it the right to Lord itself over us, because we trust in it.
God certainly wants us to have the very best as His children (3 JOHN 2).Which is the reason He allows us to have access to all good things Spiritually,Physically,Mentally,Financially, and in all other areas of our lives, yet He expects us to put our trust in Him at all times, and not in any other thing, including money.
1 TIMOTHY 6:17
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy”
God means for money to be a blessing when it gets into your hands. It becomes evil when you allow it get a grip of you and dictate to you what to do and what not to do. Even the rich can easily make Heaven if they fail to put their trust in Money.
Trusting in God is allowing all that you have, including your money, time, and every other possession of yours bring others to Him, which ultimately brings Him glory.
Author Profile
- Temitope is the founder of thesoulmeal.com, an online platform that she shares with her God-given spiritual family and friends. She is a speaker, teacher and youth counselor. She is passionate about inspiring people to find their identity in Christ. Catch her interviewing inspiring leaders on Tongue of the Learned Podcast
Latest Posts
Growing In ChristMay 10, 2021Pay Attention To This Season
FaithJanuary 26, 2021His Word, My Hope.
FaithJanuary 14, 2021Caught In The Web Of The Devil’s Lie?
FaithJanuary 5, 2021Look Beyond The Package