One politician said: “Money is not god; but not lesser than god.” The Bible clearly teaches about money and wealth.
1) In Vs out: Human beings either bring anything – material things into the world, or can take it away. (Job 1:21)
2) Temporal Vs. Eternal: Money or currency in one country may not be valid in another country. But money could be used in such a way that the rewards are eternal.
3) Save and spend: Some economies are based on savings and others on spending. The saved money is invested to create wealth or business; while others borrow and spend with hope for income in future. Solomon suggests that we should learn from ants to save. (Proverbs 6:6-8)
4) Creating wealth Vs Creating consumerism: The Parable of Talents teaches us to create wealth which would give more employment opportunities and growth of community. (Matthew 25:14-30) Another option was to eat up the one talent – use it for selfish purposes – mindless consumerism.
5) Earn or extort: Earning profit is not sin. The profit should be reasonable, sustainable to continue the business but not extorting the people for luxurious living.
6) Content or discontent: Money inherently is not evil, but the attitude towards money could be dangerous. Great gain is a genuine relationship with God, our source of contentment, and a healthy detachment from material things.
7) Need or greed: God has promised to meet our needs and not greed. Greed is an insatiable desire to have more. Judas betrayed Lord Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, later hated the same money and threw it in the temple. (Matthew 27:3).
8) Legitimate and illegitimate: Wealth earned should be legitimate. King Ahab used unlawful means to obtain the vineyard from Naboth (I Kings 21).
9) Wealth Vs. Worth: There are some people who believe the worth of a person is determined by the wealth s/he possesses. Life does not consist of an abundance of riches. (Luke 12: 15)
Am I a good steward of wealth that I invest for eternity?