THE LOVE OF MONEY

1Timothy 6
9  But  they  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation and  a  snare,  and into many  foolish  and hurtful lusts, which drown  men  in destruction and  perdition.

There  are  problems and  temptations  that associate  with being  rich and  having  money. Wealth  presents us with  the temptation  to  do several things  that may  ultimately corrupt  and  damage  us significantly.   Wealth comes with  a  lot  of  power and when people  acquire  this  power they often think  that  they can do anything  on  their own and don’t need God. 

This  is probably the most dangerous temptation  of all. The temptation  to  no longer  depend on  God but on  yourself.   Riches can  be a snare if  you don’t  guard  your heart.  A  snare is  used  to  hunt.  It  is  a trap  that  is  laid to catch prey. When  a  victim  comes to  eat the bait that you have  put  for  them the  snare  grabs them  and holds  them tight  until they  perish or are  killed.     The  love  of  wealth  and riches  is the bait that  Satan  uses  to  trap  us.  Money in itself isn't bad.  But  when we begin  to trust in  money  and love  the power  that  it  gives  us  we  enter into  the snare of  the devil. Instead of  us  having money the  money  begins  to have us.  

10  For the love of money  is  the root  of all  evil: which  while  some  coveted after,  they  have erred  from the faith, and  pierced  themselves  through  with  many  sorrows.

Money is  not the root  of all  evil. The  LOVE  of money is  the  root  of all evil.   Actually  people  don't  love  money itself.  It  is  not  the colored  paper  or minted  coins that  people lust  after. What we  really love is the result  of  money. We love  what money  can do  for us.  We  love the  things  that money  can buy for us.  We  love the power, influence  and security that money provides for us.   In fact  what we really love is ourselves. What  we  want, how we feel, what  we  can have,  how  others  will feel about  us,  the  respect  we shall get, the lusts that we shall fulfill  etc. this is  what we  really are after.

And money is  the  power  that will make  all this  possible and  available to  us.  This  is the  root  of the issue. This is why  one  doesn’t  have  to be rich  to have  the love of money. Most  poor people who  have very little  money  or no money  at all have  an  incredible love of money.  They  are  always  lusting after the power and  influence that money could give them. They lust  after the  comfort, the luxury,  the good life that money offers  them  and constantly curse or  lament their  inability  to  experience  all  this  because of their  poverty.  This is  a love  of money.  

11  But  thou,  O man of  God, flee these things; and  follow after  righteousness,  godliness, faith,  love, patience,  meekness.  12  Fight the  good  fight  of  faith, lay  hold on  eternal  life, whereunto thou  art also called,  and hast  professed  a  good  profession  before many witnesses.  13  I  give thee charge in  the  sight of God, who quickeneth all  things, and  before Christ Jesus, who  before  Pontius  Pilate  witnessed  a good confession;  14  That  thou  keep  this commandment without spot, unrebukeable,  until the  appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Flee,  follow  and  fight;
Paul tells  Timothy  to  do three things in  these  verses;  flee, follow and fight.   To flee  means to run  away, to shun,  to  vanish. This  is  more than just passively ignoring  or not  seeking something. It  means  to avoid it  at  all  costs. To  run away  from the  temptation. To  flee  like Joseph did from  Potiphar’s  wife. When you realize you are beginning to love  money, flee  for your life, run away from  the temptation.  Flee  covetousness, envy, strife,  railings,  evil  surmisings, and any  teaching  contrary to  the  doctrine  of Christ.

Follow
To flee is  not enough  however, you can’t  always  be  running away.  You need to  have something  to pursue, something to  seek after eagerly,  to  earnestly endeavor to  acquire.  Instead of  pursuing  money and material wealth, your  pursuit  in life should be  righteousness,  godliness,  faith, love, patience, meekness.  This is how  you  protect  your  heart from  mammon.

Fight
To fight  means to struggle,  to  compete  for a prize,  to contend  with an adversary, to endeavor to accomplish  something.   Our struggle isn't  with  God. It  is with  ourselves  (our lusts)  and  the devil's lies  (his  temptations).  No one  is exempt  from  this fight.  If you don’t  fight,  you  lose.  If  you don’t  know that  you are in a  battle, you are losing. Materialism and  self-centeredness  is a battle that we  all  face and  have  to fight in  our lives.

“lay hold on  eternal life..”
To ‘lay hold on’  means  to seize  the opportunity.  The way we fight this good fight  of faith  and  the  way  we gain victory is  by  laying  hold on eternal  life. By  clinging  to  God.  By  cleaving  to  Jesus and not  letting  go. Intimacy  with  God  protects  us from self-centeredness  and loving  money.  It  keeps us focused  on God’s Kingdom  and  fulfilling  His purpose in  this  life  and in the earth.

THE ROOT OF ALL  EVIL!

Scripture  teaches  that  the love of money is the root of all evil.  We  all  agree  to  that. What we  don’t usually understand is  that  this  is not  just  a doctrinal  thing, it  is literally true. Even  from  the very beginning.  All  evil  originated from  the love of money.  From  materialism and  self-centeredness.   Most  Christians  believe  that satan is  the origin  of  evil.  And that is  true. But the  question  is,  what  is  the origin  of satan?  What  made him?  And the answer  is  simple but  profound.  The  love of money.   

Ezekiel 28
12  Son of man, take up  a lamentation upon the  king  of Tyrus,  and  say unto  him,  Thus saith the  Lord  GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full  of wisdom, and perfect  in beauty.  13  Thou hast  been in  Eden the  garden  of God; every  precious stone was  thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the  sapphire,  the emerald,  and the carbuncle, and gold:  the  workmanship  of  thy  tabrets and of thy  pipes  was prepared in  thee  in  the day that thou wast created.  14  Thou  art  the anointed cherub that covereth; and I  have  set thee so:  thou wast upon  the  holy mountain  of  God;  thou hast  walked  up and down in the  midst of  the stones of fire.15  Thou wast  perfect  in thy ways from the day that thou  wast created,  till  iniquity  was found in thee.

These verses  describe  to  us the  beauty and perfection of Lucifer.  The Cherub  that covers. This was an angel that  God created to serve man.  He placed him  in the Garden  of Eden  to  minister to  man. He adorned him with beautiful precious  stones  and  jewels. He was  designed to look beautiful,  rich and perfect.  And he was  indeed. Up to  this  point  there was  no problem  with  him.  He was fulfilling  his assignment and all was going  well. But  then, iniquity was  found in  him.  

16  By  the  multitude  of  thy  merchandise they  have filled the midst of thee with violence,  and thou hast sinned:  therefore I  will cast  thee as profane out  of  the  mountain of God:  and I  will destroy  thee,  O covering  cherub, from the  midst  of the  stones of  fire.

The multitude of merchandise deceived  him.  Great wealth  filled him  with  pride and violence. He begun to lust after more  power,  more influence  and  more  glory.  He  now wanted to  become  God.  The  love of money  corrupted  Lucifer  and got  him in  pride.

17  Thine  heart  was lifted up because of  thy beauty, thou hast corrupted  thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I  will cast thee  to  the ground, I  will  lay thee before  kings, that they  may behold thee.

His heart  was  lifted  up because of  his beauty and  brightness. His  self-centeredness  corrupted  him  and he  rebelled against  God. This is what  the love of money produces in us.  Rebellion against  God  and His purposes. Evil.  

Ecclesiastes 5
10  He that  loveth silver  shall  not  be satisfied  with  silver;  nor  he that  loveth abundance  with  increase: this is  also vanity.

It  is impossible to  be  satisfied  with  riches  if  you love  them. When you love money, you can  never be satisfied. It is  never enough. You  always  want more and will pursue more  until  you are destroyed by your lusts.

11  When goods  increase,  they are increased  that  eat  them:  and what good  is there  to the  owners thereof, saving the beholding of them  with their  eyes?

Increased  riches lead  to  increased  problems. When  you pursue  money and  riches,  problems  also  pursue you. And  you  will have  to get more to  solve the  problems and  as you get  more  the  problems  also increase. It  is  a never ending  cycle.

12  The sleep  of a  laboring  man is sweet, whether  he eat  little  or  much:  but the  abundance of  the rich  will not suffer  him  to  sleep.  13  There  is a sore evil  which  I  have seen under  the  sun,  namely, riches kept  for the owners thereof  to their  hurt.  14  But  those  riches  perish by  evil  travail:  and he  begetteth  a son, and there  is  nothing in  his hand.  15  As he  came  forth of his mother's womb,  naked  shall he  return  to  go as he came, and  shall  take nothing of  his  labour, which  he  may carry  away in his  hand.

Pursuing  riches  without God is vanity because in the  end  they will not benefit  you. You  will die  and  be buried  with  nothing but  the clothes on  your body. All your riches  will be left  here on earth. And you  will lose the most  important thing. Eternal life. Intimate communion  with God.

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