Money - Servant or Master ?

"Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" [Luke 12:15].
"Money is power." That principle drives most cultures of the world. People scramble for wealth, often at the price of personal integrity, in order to gain the power to live where and how they want, drive the kind of vehicle they want, and get whatever else they want.
Money will buy : A bed but not sleep. Food but not appetite. A house but not a home. Amusement but not happiness. A cross but not a Savior. A church pew but not heaven. What money can't buy, Jesus Christ gives freely without charge."
The problem is not having money, but "living a life where that's your focus."

Agur, the wise author of Proverbs 30, didn't want too much or too little of it (Proverbs 30:7-9). Jesus used it (John 13:29). Paul could take it or leave it (Philippians 4:11-12). The rich young ruler clung to it (Luke 18:23). Ananias and Sapphira died because they lied to God about it (Acts 5).
What about our relationship to money ? Do we used it wisely or does it control us ?

MONEY IS A GOOD SERVANT, BUT A POOR MASTER

Making Good Money

The Bible shows that wealth can be a blessing from God, it is not always dirty or crooked. Abraham, one of the Bible's heroes of faith, " was very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold " [Genesis 13 : 2]. So how did he get so rich ? Through God's abundant blessing [Genesis 24 : 35].
Job was another Bible hero whom God blessed with great wealth. Job lost everything but stayed faithful to God. Eventually '....the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before' (Job 42 : 10).
The New Testament examples included Lydia, a devout woman who became prosperous in the cloth business. Lydia trusted in Christ and offered her home as a base for missionaries to stay in and for new Christians to gather for worship and encouragement (Acts 16 : 14-15, 40).

Wealth can be a blessing from God. But the Bible opposes those who "think that godliness is a means to financial gain" (1 Timothy 6 : 5). God does not exist to satisfy greed.
A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. (Proverbs 28 : 20)

It is not always wrong to make money, but it is absolutely wrong to make money supreme or to give ourselves all the credit for our wealth. The Bible says, "Man does not live on bread alone [material things] but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord ... 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" (Deuteronomy 8 : 3, 7-18).

Money is not God, but it is not Satan either. If you trust the Lord Jesus as your Saviour and put God first in your life, then making good money can be enjoyed as a blessing and pursued as a calling. Thank the Lord for the work and the wealth He gives you. Give generously to help out people who cannot help themselves.
God tells His people, "You and your family shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you" (Deuteronomy 12 : 7).

[Extract from Asian Beacon April/May 2004 written by David Feddes]

Proverbs 3 : 9-10 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

As God empowers us with the ability to earn good money, let us be good stewards and use the gift to empower others as well.