3 Truths About Money To Make You More Cautious
By Michael Kelley
There is a difference between a “guide” and a “manual.” A guide is someone or something that helps you along a predetermined path. That person or thing knows the way you should go, but you are on a journey of discovery. Your guide is right there with you, walking the path alongside you. But a manual is different.
A manual gives you step-by-step instructions in what you should do or the way you should go. It’s numbered and sub-numbers, making sure to tell you the exact next move as clearly as possible.
In those terms, it’s more helpful to think of the Bible as a guide than a manual. The reason is simple - the Bible isn’t going to tell you every specific thing you need to do - or not do - in life. It doesn’t work that way.
That’s not to say there aren’t direct instructions in the Bible because there certainly are. But more of the time, the Bible lays out principles for us about who God is and the way things are in the world. And these principles, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, become the foundation for the way we think about the specific actions and decisions we are confronted with.
Take money, for example. Now the Bible says alot about money, but the Bible isn’t going to tell you whether to buy a new car or not. Nor will it tell you exactly how much to put in your retirement account. But it will teach us the right posture to have when it comes to money.
And the posture we should have when it comes to money is this: caution.
We need to be careful when it comes to money. Here are four truths the Bible tells us that relate to money and put us in that posture:
1. Money is the primary competitor for your affection.
“No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt. 6:24).
Jesus could have set up anything as the primary competitor to God in our lives. He could have easily said something like, “You cannot serve both God and power,” or “You cannot serve both God and sex,” but instead He chose money. We ought to be cautious around money if that’s true.
2. Money is the root of all kinds of evil.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (1 Tim. 6:6-10).
It’s that last line that should make us especially cautious – that the love of money is a lure that has caused, and will cause, many to wander away from the faith. That’s because all those things of the world - power, sex, pleasure - these are all things that can be bought with money.
In and of itself money is not evil, but it can certainly be the currency of our departure from godliness.
3. Money is temporary.
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19-20).
We should be cautious in investing too much of ourselves into money because, frankly, the end return is not great. Money is temporary.
No matter how important it might be to us now, it won’t always be so. Far better is for us to invest ourselves into things that are going to last forever.
When it comes to money, the Bible guides us to a posture of caution. We should be careful around it because it is the primary competitor for our hearts, because it can lead to all kinds of evil, and because it’s temporary. Instead of investing our hearts in money, then, we should recognize that money is, and always has been, more than just a means of purchase; it is the currency of safety, security, and status. As long as there has been money, it has been a ready-made substitute for those things we are meant to find in God.
When our bank account is full, we feel safe. When funds are plentiful, we feel secure. And when our balance is busting, we feel important. These are deep, soul-level needs common to every human being. They are also deep, soul-level needs that can only be met by God.
Money is, at best, a poor substitute for what we find in God alone. Let our desire for money lead us to something deeper. More lasting. That we can find in God alone.
Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.
