Be wise with money- it requires wisdom.
Money has the power to bless or destroy. We need wisdom to handle it properly.
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."-1 Timothy 6:6-10
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:17-19
The scriptures can be both liberating and challenging at the same time. We see scriptures like from 1Timothy 6 above, and we must admit that in this present time and age they are so counter cultural that they can even seem a little offensive to us. After all, success in today's world is often measured by wealth and accumulation of assets. But in reality, it this has always been one of satan's greatest weapons in keeping us distracted from God's presence. After all, if we can solve any problem we face on earth with our wealth and resources, do we really need God at all? This is a great deception of the enemy and a perilous trap if we don't know how to navigate it.
Is God saying money is bad? Absolutely not! But He is saying if we make it an idol, and put it 1st in our lives ahead of Him, that it has the power to destroy us. It is also can keep us from trusting in Him above all else, which is critical not just for this life but for all of eternity. We must remember two important things from these scriptures God gives us about money: God wants us to remember He ultimately is the owner of all things, we are just temporary stewards of what He gives us, and He wants us to use His wealth for eternal Kingdom purposes. What does that mean? It means we have the heart of Jesus and we use our wealth to help others around us who are less fortunate and to be actively seeking ways to use our wealth to grow His Kingdom. It can open doors to tell others about Jesus, when we show the heart of Jesus with our generosity. That is how we keep money from becoming an idol, and we keep God 1st in all things. Challenging? You bet! But also liberating as we put money in it's proper position and keep it from ruining our lives and our witness for God's kingdom.
#doughallmedia #thewell #keepmoneyfrombecominganidol
