www.godonthenet.org - Money is a powerful tool. With it we can do good to others, provide for our families, bless our friends and purchase experiences that enrich our lives. Without it there is hunger, conflict, stress and all sorts of trouble.
The Bible is not silent about this tool. In fact, many of Jesus' parables deal with the subject of money and wealth. Moreover, while it may surprise some people, the scriptures are filled with wisdom concerning how to attain, as well as how to manage one's finances.
From the beginning, the church seems to have had a love-hate relationship with money. On the one hand, it saw the destruction that all too easily accompanied great wealth. On the other, the church could not care for the poor, evangelize, build churches or feed its leaders unless there was money to do all of this. There could be no large-scale charity until someone first earned the money.
Money is neutral. It is an inanimate instrument. Consequently, the love of money (greed) is not only evil it is stupid. How do you love a piece of green paper or even a bar of gold? You can't eat it. It won't keep you warm at night…unless you pile lots of bills together and burn them.
I suggest that all too often, some Christians-with the best of intentions-teach that money is so evil and so dangerous that, if someone has a lot of it, they are guilty of sin. Somehow, one way or another wealth is a sign of spiritual and moral compromise. These well meaning people have confused greed with success, avarice with the size of one's bank balance. Is someone spiritual merely because they are poor? No, I know a number of poor people who are covetous, bitter and greedy. The reverse is also true. Wealth can be a sign of God's blessing on faithfulness. (Deuteronomy 28)
The fact is that, from the beginning, the church was blessed with wealthy people. As we read the Gospels, we encounter women supporting Jesus out of their substance, disciples who owned fishing businesses, Zacchaeus who gave a large feast when he was converted, Joseph of Arimathea who was a rich man, and the rich young ruler who was attracted to Jesus. As we read the book of Acts, we meet believers who had property and possessions that they sold to help the poor. We also read of Lydia the affluent seller of purple.
However, this is not to say that wealth can only be justified or approved of when it is used to support various church ministries. Certainly, the wealthy should be generous with their local churches. However, what of leaving an inheritance for their grandchildren? (Proverbs 13:22) What of building businesses that can increasingly place more and more people in well paying, meaningful jobs? What about helping to establish schools or clinics? What about helping to support the arts? And what about personal growth through collecting experiences that, otherwise, could not have been "collected" without having the resources?
Can Wealth Be Related to Personal Growth?
W. Somerset Maugham wrote that, "Money is like a sixth sense, and you can't make use of the other five without it." This is an exaggeration, of course, but contains some truth, none the less.
When my son was about 5 years old he told me that he was "good to his taste buds." The words rolled off his tongue as if every ounce of his soul was tied to his tongue. To this day, he loves to savor his food. Now, if there is a lack of money he is not going to be able to please his taste buds as fully as possible.
Certainly there is beauty in the world we can enjoy without needing any money. However, there is also far more beauty that we cannot gaze upon or touch or hear or smell unless we have money.
I have found that one of the more healthy motivational strategies for generating more income is to have the goal of some noble purpose to fulfill with the wealth. Again, "noble" can mean giving more money to charity. However, it can and should also include building memories with your friends and loved ones through experiencing the world's beauty together. For example, you could visit museums or attend theatre together or possibly take educational classes. Maybe you could learn how to make furniture, repair refrigerators, or learn Basic Electronics. Maybe you could learn to fly a plane.
It is a common error to think of personal growth as something separate from "spiritual" growth. Whatever adds to you as a person, whatever makes you more the human God designed you to become, increases your spiritual maturity. I also should add here that such growth makes you a far more interesting person that, in turn, makes you a far more effective witness for Christ.
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