By: Rick Warren
Money tends to dominate our lives. Much of our time is consumed by earning it, spending it, saving it, investing it, giving it, even thinking about it. A major survey recently showed financial tensions and conflicts are major factors in more than 50 percent of all divorces.
Fortunately, the Bible has excellent advice on money management. The majority of Jesus’ parables deal with handling material possessions. In fact, He spoke more about money than he did about either heaven or hell. This might be because more people seem to be interested in money!
TWO COMMON MYTHS ABOUT MONEY:
MYTH #1: Money is evil. Money is neither good nor bad. What the Bible actually says is: “The LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). The Bible teaches that we are to USE things and LOVE people. Whenever we get that reversed, we get ourselves into trouble. If we love things, we will end up using people. God says people are always more important than possessions.
MYTH #2: Money is the key to happiness. Obviously, that is not true either. If money guaranteed happiness, those with the most would be the happiest. However, every day we see and hear media reports that explode that idea. Jesus said, “A man’s real life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be” (Luke 12:15).
So how much money can we make without feeling guilty? God says you may make as much as you can – as long as you observe four important limitations on your “desire to acquire.”
1. As long as it doesn’t hurt your own health. Foolish people work themselves to death. Your health must take priority over wealth. “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint!” (Proverbs 23:4.)
2. As long as it doesn’t hurt your family. Homes fall apart when parents are too busy earning more. Kids don’t need more things – they need more time with their parents. You can become so busy making a living, you forget to make a life! “A greedy man brings trouble to his family” (Proverbs 15:27).
3. As long as it doesn’t hurt other people. God insists that we make our money honestly and fairly. In fact, He says that wealth gained dishonestly will bring unhappiness. “A fortune can be made from cheating, but there is a curse that goes with it” (Proverbs 20:21). “It’s better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income, dishonestly gained” (Proverbs 16:8).
4. As long as you give as much attention to growing spiritually. Having financial goals is commendable – as long as you have spiritual development goals as well. You need balance. The objective of life is far greater than just acquiring material things. “I pray that you will prosper physically as (much as) you do spiritually” (3 John :2).
Keep this admonition from the Bible in mind: “It is better, much better, to have wisdom and knowledge than silver and gold” (Proverbs 16:16).
Adapted from columns by Dr. Rick Warren, the author of numerous books, including the highly acclaimed The Purpose-Drive Life, which has been translated into many languages and sold throughout the world. It affirms the importance of having a carefully considered, clearly expressed purpose to guide everyday life.