A Major Threat to Our Relationship With the Lord
By its very nature, the lust for riches is a major threat to our relationship with God. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). The story of the rich young ruler is an example of someone who loved money more than God and lost his soul (Matthew 19:16-22)
The Bible teaches that it is impossible to serve both God and money because their demands are irreconcilable. Man cannot serve God and mammon simultaneously (James 1:8–11). Those who serve money are its slaves, and do its bidding in spite of themselves (Romans 6:16).
Paul explains: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:9). Money is not evil in itself but it’s the love of money that we should be aware of.
Those who strive for riches are feeding themselves with a passion that will eventually destroy the finer qualities of spirituality in their lives. The passion for riches presents a limitless range for temptations that cause people to compromise principle (James 1:12–15).
Riches give a false sense of security and dependency on material things instead of God. The Christian should realize that wealth is not an end in itself, but a means to more important goals, and his supreme objective in life should not be to collect wealth. The Lord says, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)
Jesus gave the parable in Luke 12:16-21 showing the folly of a life devoted to the accumulation of riches. Because a man cannot take any of his material riches with him to heaven, his main goal on earth should be to develop his Christian character. After earning the essentials for life, man has all that he will ever need. To crave more than the essentials, creates a discontented spirit, a competitive zeal that can’t be satisfied (Philippians 4:11-13; 1 Timothy 6:6-8).
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In His service,
BibleAsk Team
