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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