The Love of Money

by Edwin Crozier

The number one enemy competing with God for control of our hearts, minds, and lives is not Baal, Molech, Zeus, or Jupiter. It is, no doubt, money. Money seems to make life easier. It promises security and protection. It claims to give happiness. It certainly gains a following. And it is visible. It seems more real, even these days when so much of our money is just ones and zeros in a computer somewhere.

Paul encourages Timothy, the Ephesians, and us to be content with food and clothing. I admit, I struggle with this one. I pray God will grow me to be this content. I think I find it easier to be content because I have so much more than food and clothing.

Nevertheless, Paul explains that the desire for wealth leads to temptation. After all, he had already described how the desire for wealth had ruined the teaching of those who enjoyed quarreling about words. The craving for money and riches often leads people to ruin and destruction. In order to chase money, folks have stolen, murdered, gossiped, slandered, lied, cheated, committed immorality, and on the list goes. Some have even wandered from the faith in God because of their faith in money. They have pierced themselves with many pangs.

I can’t help but think of the apostle Judas Iscariot every time I read this passage. Judas’s problem was not that he hated Jesus. He didn’t betray Jesus because he disliked Jesus or even disagreed with Jesus. He loved money. In pursuit of money, he betrayed innocent blood. When he came to his senses and realized what he had done, he was so pierced through with pangs that he killed himself.

And that is the problem for any and all of us. We don’t hate Jesus. We love Jesus. But we can’t love money alongside Jesus. That’s not to say we can’t have money or use money. But the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Even as we still go to church, even as we still try to obey God, the love of money will lead us astray. As Jesus said, we can’t serve two masters. We’ll either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other (Matthew 6:24).

As the old saying goes, money is a good servant, but a terrible master. We can manage money. We can use money. We can spend money. We can save money. But we must be careful. If we start to love money, let us not think we’ll escape unscathed.