| The Greatest Story Every Told About The Greatest Man That Ever Lived |
This
This
Is
Is
His
His
Story
Story
The Bible talks a lot about money. Since the Bible has everything we need for life and Godliness,
it is only fitting then that the Bible teaches us about money. God's view of money is different than
the world's view. God is not against us having money. It's when money has us that there is a
problem. As someone once said, money is just a tool, nothing more.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for
me." But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.
We always need to remember that God is the source of our wealth. Yes, we do the work, but
behind the scenes, it is God that pulls the strings. l have been very successful in business, but
whenever someone asks me why, I tell them "It's because I have a good teacher. If you want to be
successful in life you have to have a good teacher, and I have the best." Then they say "Who is
your teacher?" And I say "Jesus is my teacher, he's the best."
1 Kings 3:5-14
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for
whatever you want me to give you." Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to
your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart.
You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this
very day. "Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David.
But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here
among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give
your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and
wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" The Lord was pleased that
Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long
life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in
administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so
that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you
what you have not asked for both riches and honor so that in your lifetime you will have no equal
among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your
father did, I will give you a long life."
Solomon was David's son. He was going to take over as ruler over Israel. God appeared to him in
a dream and said that he would give him anything he wanted. Just like if we found a Genie lamp.
But Solomon did not ask for wealth or long life like we might with a Genie lamp, he asked for
things that would help him rule the nation of Israel wisely. God was so pleased that he not only
gave him that, but also what he didn't ask for....wealth and long life. There is a great lesson in this.
Sometimes we have choices to make like this, and sometimes we take the short term ones and
miss out. We also never know when we are going to be tested to see our true nature.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his
income.
Have you ever heard of the man who died in rags but had several millions in the bank? Or the
very rich who have more money than they will ever spend in their life, but still work very hard
every day to get richer? Solomon found that out a long time ago.
1 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
God's plan is for man to work. When God made Adam, he put him in the Garden of Eden to tend it
and keep it. Man needs work not only for money but for self worth. The worse thing that can
happen to anyone is having nothing to do.
1 Timothy 6:7-11
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. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap
and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men 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. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
The Apostle Paul is writing to Timothy and instructs him not to pursue money, but to follow God.
The most misquoted scripture comes from this passage and that is that money is the root of all
evil. Paul did not say that, he said the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. There is a difference
between having money and Loving your money.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.
Again Paul says the Love of money, not money. If we can always be content with what we have
we will always be happy.
Matthew 6:19-24
Do not 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 moth and rust
do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also. No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Someone once said that life is like the game of Monopoly. You play so hard to get rich, putting up
houses and hotels, and collecting big rents, but in the end, you put all that money back in the box
and someone else plays with it the next time. Many times in life that's how it happens. Jesus gave
us some good advice here about storing up treasures in heaven instead.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
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.
Many people have found out the hard way that sacrificing their life for money was not worth it. In
the end all they had was cold hard cash. I have known of some men that did this and in the
meantime, their kids grew up without knowing their dad because he was always working.
James 5:1-6
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your
wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their
corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last
days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out
against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have
lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
In the end days, the amount of money we have will not be important. We can't take it with us and
we can't use it to buy our way into heaven either. James is also making reference to some
unscrupulous business practices here which will be taken into account.
Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God.
The eye of the needle was one of the gates into Jerusalem. It was so small, that a camel had to get
down on all four knees and crawl through the gate. This was not an easy task for a camel. Jesus
said that some people are so attached to their money that they don't have time for God.
Luke 12:15-21
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does
not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of
a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place
to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger
ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of
good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'" "But God said to
him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you
have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself
but is not rich toward God."
God wants us to live a balanced life. If all we do is pursue money, many other things will suffer.
Ask anyone who has done so. There is no advantage to dying with millions if we don't have a
relationship with God.
Matthew 16:26
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man
give in exchange for his soul.
Here Jesus makes it clear that if all we do is pursue money and don't make time for God in our
lives, of what benefit will that be. We can have all the money in the world, but it will not change our
eternal destiny, only accepting Jesus as our Saviour can do that.
Luke 16:10-12
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest
with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling
worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with
someone else's property who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two
masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
God wants us to be honest and fair in all our money dealings. If we gain wealth through dishonest
means, we may attain wealth, but you can't fool God, he knows what you did. Will God bless us
more abundantly then? God does not say that we can't serve him and money, he says we can't
serve both. You need to choose who comes first, and who you will serve. If it is money, then you
will be a slave to your money.
Romans 13:6-8
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants who give their full time to
governing. Give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes, pay taxes, if revenue, then
revenue, if respect, then respect, if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding.
It is a different way of looking at it when you see Government employees as God's servants. After
all, they do a lot of good for the country. Even with the amount of taxes we do pay, we still have a
great life and a very affluent lifestyle in North America and many other places in the world. It's
easy to fall into the trap of criticizing the Government and having a negative attitude towards them.
But when we actually consider all the good things they provide, it's a different story.
James 2:5
Listen my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be
rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him.
Money is not everything. And everyone will not be rich. Each one follows his own path in life, and
for some that does not include wealth. Each person has their dreams and goals to pursue. Just
because they don't have lots of money does not mean that they are not fulfilled in life, or that they
are not as successful. Each one of us in necessary for society to function. We need our garbage
picked up as much as we need our teeth fixed. Both are just as necessary. If we don't have
money there is no need to envy those that do, but instead to focus on travelling the path which we
have chosen. And if we do have money we should always be thankful to God for blessing us as
he has and be glad to share it with those in need.
it is only fitting then that the Bible teaches us about money. God's view of money is different than
the world's view. God is not against us having money. It's when money has us that there is a
problem. As someone once said, money is just a tool, nothing more.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for
me." But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.
We always need to remember that God is the source of our wealth. Yes, we do the work, but
behind the scenes, it is God that pulls the strings. l have been very successful in business, but
whenever someone asks me why, I tell them "It's because I have a good teacher. If you want to be
successful in life you have to have a good teacher, and I have the best." Then they say "Who is
your teacher?" And I say "Jesus is my teacher, he's the best."
1 Kings 3:5-14
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for
whatever you want me to give you." Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to
your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart.
You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this
very day. "Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David.
But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here
among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give
your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and
wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" The Lord was pleased that
Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long
life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in
administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so
that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you
what you have not asked for both riches and honor so that in your lifetime you will have no equal
among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your
father did, I will give you a long life."
Solomon was David's son. He was going to take over as ruler over Israel. God appeared to him in
a dream and said that he would give him anything he wanted. Just like if we found a Genie lamp.
But Solomon did not ask for wealth or long life like we might with a Genie lamp, he asked for
things that would help him rule the nation of Israel wisely. God was so pleased that he not only
gave him that, but also what he didn't ask for....wealth and long life. There is a great lesson in this.
Sometimes we have choices to make like this, and sometimes we take the short term ones and
miss out. We also never know when we are going to be tested to see our true nature.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his
income.
Have you ever heard of the man who died in rags but had several millions in the bank? Or the
very rich who have more money than they will ever spend in their life, but still work very hard
every day to get richer? Solomon found that out a long time ago.
1 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."
God's plan is for man to work. When God made Adam, he put him in the Garden of Eden to tend it
and keep it. Man needs work not only for money but for self worth. The worse thing that can
happen to anyone is having nothing to do.
1 Timothy 6:7-11
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. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap
and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men 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. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
The Apostle Paul is writing to Timothy and instructs him not to pursue money, but to follow God.
The most misquoted scripture comes from this passage and that is that money is the root of all
evil. Paul did not say that, he said the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. There is a difference
between having money and Loving your money.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.
Again Paul says the Love of money, not money. If we can always be content with what we have
we will always be happy.
Matthew 6:19-24
Do not 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 moth and rust
do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also. No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Someone once said that life is like the game of Monopoly. You play so hard to get rich, putting up
houses and hotels, and collecting big rents, but in the end, you put all that money back in the box
and someone else plays with it the next time. Many times in life that's how it happens. Jesus gave
us some good advice here about storing up treasures in heaven instead.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
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.
Many people have found out the hard way that sacrificing their life for money was not worth it. In
the end all they had was cold hard cash. I have known of some men that did this and in the
meantime, their kids grew up without knowing their dad because he was always working.
James 5:1-6
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your
wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their
corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last
days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out
against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have
lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
In the end days, the amount of money we have will not be important. We can't take it with us and
we can't use it to buy our way into heaven either. James is also making reference to some
unscrupulous business practices here which will be taken into account.
Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God.
The eye of the needle was one of the gates into Jerusalem. It was so small, that a camel had to get
down on all four knees and crawl through the gate. This was not an easy task for a camel. Jesus
said that some people are so attached to their money that they don't have time for God.
Luke 12:15-21
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does
not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of
a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place
to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger
ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of
good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'" "But God said to
him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you
have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself
but is not rich toward God."
God wants us to live a balanced life. If all we do is pursue money, many other things will suffer.
Ask anyone who has done so. There is no advantage to dying with millions if we don't have a
relationship with God.
Matthew 16:26
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man
give in exchange for his soul.
Here Jesus makes it clear that if all we do is pursue money and don't make time for God in our
lives, of what benefit will that be. We can have all the money in the world, but it will not change our
eternal destiny, only accepting Jesus as our Saviour can do that.
Luke 16:10-12
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest
with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling
worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with
someone else's property who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two
masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
God wants us to be honest and fair in all our money dealings. If we gain wealth through dishonest
means, we may attain wealth, but you can't fool God, he knows what you did. Will God bless us
more abundantly then? God does not say that we can't serve him and money, he says we can't
serve both. You need to choose who comes first, and who you will serve. If it is money, then you
will be a slave to your money.
Romans 13:6-8
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants who give their full time to
governing. Give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes, pay taxes, if revenue, then
revenue, if respect, then respect, if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding.
It is a different way of looking at it when you see Government employees as God's servants. After
all, they do a lot of good for the country. Even with the amount of taxes we do pay, we still have a
great life and a very affluent lifestyle in North America and many other places in the world. It's
easy to fall into the trap of criticizing the Government and having a negative attitude towards them.
But when we actually consider all the good things they provide, it's a different story.
James 2:5
Listen my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be
rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him.
Money is not everything. And everyone will not be rich. Each one follows his own path in life, and
for some that does not include wealth. Each person has their dreams and goals to pursue. Just
because they don't have lots of money does not mean that they are not fulfilled in life, or that they
are not as successful. Each one of us in necessary for society to function. We need our garbage
picked up as much as we need our teeth fixed. Both are just as necessary. If we don't have
money there is no need to envy those that do, but instead to focus on travelling the path which we
have chosen. And if we do have money we should always be thankful to God for blessing us as
he has and be glad to share it with those in need.