Money: A Double-Edged Sword

English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon wrote, Money is a great servant but a bad master. Perhaps the greatest decision you’ll make about finances is will money serve you or will you serve money?To put it another way: Will money be a blessing to you or a curse? We’ll talk about that today on MoneyWise. IS MONEY A MASTER OR SERVANT? The First Commandment in Exodus 20:2 and 3 states, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. Because money can so easily become an idol in our lives a false god there’s definitely a financial application for these verses. Money can become a lower case G god and master leading to spiritual destruction. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns, No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Obviously, that passage is about greed, but at a more basic level, it’s also about idolatry. That’s because idolatry is the root cause of many sins and greed is certainly included. In Ephesians 5:5, the Apostle Paul says, No immoral, impure or greedy personsuch a person is an idolaterhas any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. And Paul makes an even more direct connection in 1 Timothy 6, Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. So we see that money can, indeed, be a very bad master. THE POTENTIAL BLESSINGS But money is a double-edged sword. It can also be a great blessing. Remember, money itself is not evil. The LOVE OF MONEY is the problem. What we do with money can also be a spiritual barometer. Larry Burkett was fond of saying how you use money is an outward sign of an inward condition. And that’s an idea that we struggle with a lot in Western society. God has given us so much in wealth and material resources, and along with that comes the great temptation to hang on to as much of it as we can. HOW TO BREAK THE CURSE Fortunately for us, God has modeled exactly how to break money’s curse of greed and idolatry,and that’s with generosity. He gave us His only Son that we might spend eternity in heaven with Him. What could possibly be more generous than that? So we see that giving is the antidote for greed. The Lord doesn’t care how much money we have, but He’s keenly interested in how we use it. In Luke 21, Jesus praises the poor widow for giving her two mites, which was all she had. To God, that was far more generous than the temple offerings of the rich Pharisees and Sadducees. So we see that money can be a blessing when it’s used for good. It can provide clean drinking water for children around the world dying of disease. It can feed the poor and fund Bible translations for people starving for God’s Word. God gives us His wealth and His resources to glorify Him, not indulge ourselves. Of course it’s okay to enjoy some of what He’s given us, but within reason. And when we give to further His kingdom, money actually becomes a double blessing, not only to the recipient, but to the giver, as well. Randy Alcorn’s book Giving Is the Good Life is filled with stories of believers who once thought every penny they made belonged to them. But their testimonies reveal they were never satisfied thinking that way. It was only when they came to know the blessing of giving that they became truly happy, and experienced the good life. The point is that money only becomes a curse when we allow ourselves to love it more than we love God. But it becomes a blessing when we us it to show how much we love God. And generosity is the biggest tool the Lord has given us to accomplish that. On today’s program, Rob also answers listener questions: ● How do you advise a friend who is inheriting a large sum of money? ● Is it wise to buy a home right now? ● Is there a point at which you no longer need life insurance? RESOURCES MENTIONED: ● Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000 or email them to [email protected]. Also, visit our website at MoneyWise.org where you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, join the MoneyWise Community, and even download the free MoneyWise app. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1085/29