“Money, power, respect is the key to life…money, power, respect is what you need in life.” These are the words echoed from the hearts of men and women around the world and lyrically spoken by one artist. Some may say that without money, power, or respect, one has little or no opportunity of survival. Money reigns supreme because it brings about power and demands a certain degree of respect. In light of this, we will examine the effect of money in our lives. To start off, money is not bad. We need money to sustain us in everyday life. It is used to purchase necessities such as food, water, clothing and shelter. Money in itself is not detestable to God. However, what makes our world so corrupt is the love of money. It is the root and source of all kinds of evil. The love for money has become such a stronghold on society. In the process of gaining more money, people idolize it through the things they have.
Mainstream television has produced shows such as MTV Cribs and BET’s “How I’m Living” which highlights materialism. They create a standard of living that most people can’t live up to, but will do anything to get there. It is common to see music videos with artists iced out with top of the line jewelry rapping about the stuff they own.
God is no longer worshiped because of who He is and His provision, but rather His creation is the focus of worship. We place so much value on the possessions we own, thus forgetting about the One who gave them to us.
The Biblical perspective of money is clear. We are instructed not to store up our treasures on earth but in heaven. For wherever we store our treasures, our heart will be there also. Storing up treasures on earth does not necessarily mean that you should not save or invest your money. Neither does it mean that you should not have nice things. It simply implies that your material possessions should not be the focus of defining who you are. God does not want our hearts to be set upon materialistic things but instead on heavenly values. So the question is: How do we store our treasures up in heaven?
A lifestyle filled with heavenly treasures is a lifestyle that glorifies and serves God. No one can serve both God and riches at the same time. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. Our love must not be divided between the two, but fully geared towards God. Seeking the will of God will result in heavenly treasures. What we gain here on earth materialistically will not be with us for eternity. All of the cars, houses, jewelry, clothes, and money we have will one day be gone.
A man name Job experienced a time when he lost everything he owned. In fact, he was the richest man in the east and had a want for nothing. He was a man who feared God and shunned evil. His character was blameless and upright. One day all that he owned was taken from him including his ten children, yet his response to God was abnormal. He understood that he brought nothing into this world and could certainly take nothing out. Job’s loyalty was to God and not to his money.
Overall, money can work as a double-edged sword. God desires for us to have money, but not to love it more than Him. He has warned us not to trust in the uncertainty of riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Therefore I leave you with this: “Seek first His kingdom, and all these things will be given unto you.