| The Greatest Story Ever Told About The Greatest Man That Ever Lived |
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.
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.
Money
