Oct 12
21
The Purpose of Wealth
17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
I Timothy 6:17-19 (NLT)
The verse above was covered in my weekly Bible Study this past week and I have been thinking about it a lot. The purpose of my financial coaching practice and of this blog is to help you get control of your money so you can prosper and build wealth. However, I don’t want you to lose sight of the fact that the pursuit of wealth is not just a purpose unto itself. So here is what the passage above teaches me about wealth:
- We should not take pride or put our trust in our wealth. When we do this, we turn our wealth into an idol and it becomes the primary driver of our lives (Matt 6:24).
- Earthly riches are temporary and can be here today and gone tomorrow. A job loss, an illness, poor decisions, or a dramatic socioeconomic event could really cause our wealth to disappear (Job 1:21-22).
- Our trust should be in God who is the One who provides everything in our lives. All good things come from Him including our ability to work, earn money, and prosper (Deut 8:18).
- Live with a heart full of gratitude (I Thess 5:18; Col 3:15).
- It is good to enjoy the fruits of our labor. There is nothing wrong with spending money wisely (Eccl 5:18-19).
- Our wealth should be used to do good works and to help those in need. We should always be ready to share from what the Lord has provided for us (Gal 6:10).
- What we do for others in this life has more eternal value than anything shown on our balance sheet (Matt 6:19-21).
“We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.”
Billy Graham
