"Whoever
loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied
with his income...." - Ecclessiastes 5:10
Workplace
believers are especially susceptible to a trap in their spiritual lives - one
to which others may not be so susceptible. That trap is wealth. Scripture tells
us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are
considered to have riches. Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that
required more than our basic necessities. However, it is clear that Jesus was
not against wealth, but against a dependence on wealth. Jesus continually
taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil. Whenever Jesus
determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found
that the individual could not let go. This was true for the rich young ruler.
When talking about what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, Jesus told him to do
the one thing that would be the most difficult - to give away his wealth and
follow Him. Jesus was not saying this was what every person must do, only the
rich young ruler, because Jesus knew this was his greatest stumbling block. For
others of us, it could be something else Jesus would ask us to give up (see Mt.
19:16-30).
In the
parable of the sower in which He describes four types of people, Jesus also
gave us another example of the problem money creates for any follower of Jesus.
"A
farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along
the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it
did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But
when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they
had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty
or thirty times what was sown" (Matthew 13:3b-8).
"The
one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the
word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it,
making it unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22).
Much like
the frog in the boiling pot, if we are not careful we gradually begin to
acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. Those around us begin to
expect more and more. Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle. Before we know it,
we are worrying about how to take care of what we acquire. Our emphasis becomes
what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom. One day I woke
up and realized I had a cold heart toward God. Apathy toward the things of God
became apparent. I was still going through the motions of service toward God,
but with no power. We wake up to realize Christ is no longer Lord of our lives,
much less of our money. The greater independence money gives us, the less
dependence on God we need. Christ talked much about money in the Kingdom
because He knew how much of a problem it was. This is why we have so few who
are bearing 100, 60, or 30 times what is sown.
Do you
have the same hunger for God that you once had? Has financial blessing had an
adverse effect on your passion for Jesus Christ? Ask Him today if your heart
has grown cold as a result of financial blessing. Ask Him to keep you hungering
for more of His presence in your life.
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