Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Hebrews 13:5-6
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
In the sports documentary movie entitled Broke, many athletes are interviewed discussing their journeys through their professional sports careers and the millions of dollars they made during the time. Most of the athletes who were interviewed discussed the lavish lifestyles they enjoyed which included copious amounts of money that was spent on cars, homes, jewelry, jets, and much more. The sad part about the documentary is that the many athletes who were interviewed are now “broke.” There were several who had to file for bankruptcy, others had to sell championship rings and memorabilia just to make ends meet. These guys were thought to be living the American dream but sadly, for a lot of them it was a nightmare.
There are many who would say to these athletes: “What dummies! All you had to do was to invest just a little bit of your money in an account and you would be set for the rest of your life! If I would’ve made that kind of money, I would’ve been smarter.” Here’s the deal. The issue was not just their lack of investing their money; it was their love of their money. If we are not careful, we can fall into that same trap.
The writer of the book of Hebrews, here in chapter 13, gives us some practical instruction on what it looks like to walk as a Christian. Nestled in this section are two verses which serve as a practical wisdom regarding how we ought to view money. We are called to keep free from the love of it. Many say that money itself is the root of all evil. No, it’s the love of money that is the root of all evil. God is a good and generous Father who provides and take care of His children, including providing financially (Philippians 4:19). What we have financially is a gift from the Lord, the trouble comes when we fall in love with it. Here is what can happen when we fall in love with money:
1) Money can become an idol in our life: If we are not careful greed can become the object of our life instead of God. We can worship our bank account over the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. We can marvel at what we have accumulated, relegating Jesus to the back seat of our life. Jesus requires all of our life, all of our worship and nothing less, for He is the One through whom we have found freedom, not money (John 14:6).
2) Money can enslave you: The love of money can ruin you as it has ruined many others throughout history. “There is no spiritual power found within the handcrafted idol, yet it has the power to destroy its worshipper.”
Instead of choosing to love money, the Bible tells us to choose to be content with what you have, for Lord will never leave nor forsake us. Here’s the deal. The verse is not saying that we should not work hard. Rather instead of pursuing greed, pursue God. We begin to find contentment in what we have when we realize that He has us forever! When we understand this truth, everything changes! We become generous with what we have. We walk in security because of the promise that He is always there! Even if we lose everything, we can be content because we won’t lose Him! There is a freedom that comes with that!
Let me encourage you today friend; Choose to let God be the object of your worship, not money. Loving money is a dangerous thing and will lead to ruin. Don’t fall into the trap. Instead, walk with the Lord, choosing to live life open-handed in surrender to Him.
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Dear Lord, thank you for being so gracious to me. Help me to realize that every good and perfect gift comes from You. Help me to walk in contentment today, leaning on the promise that you made that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.