Did you know there are hundreds of verses about wealth and money in the Bible? If we include gold, silver, riches, inheritance, debt, and other financially related topics that number climbs well into the thousands, more than nearly any other subject. Why would God put such a heavy emphasis on our monetary affairs? Could He have known that we would be tempted by the world’s attitudes regarding wealth? I would say, yes!
This week at Teaching and Worship we are continuing our study of the book of James, specifically James 1:9-11. It is here, in these three verses, that James boldly challenges us to consider our attitude toward two contrasting circumstances in life: poverty and prosperity. The catch? James asks us to start with the attitude of our very own heart. Is it an uncomfortable assignment? Yes, it can be. But if we heed James’ earlier advice to find joy in our trials (1:2-4), we will discover that spiritual maturity is found in the eternal riches of heaven, not the temporary riches of this world.
“Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”
Proverbs 30:8
Remember Solomon, author of Proverbs, the third king of Israel, and David’s chosen heir? During his reign, he became the wealthiest man who ever lived. But he was also the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon, like James, knew the need for Godly wisdom; wisdom that could only be effective when put into action. And looking back on our study of James, we learned that wisdom is seeing our trials through God’s eyes, not our own. Is having too much or too little money a trial? We can find the answer in Proverbs 30. Solomon tells us that money can be dangerous to our well-being. He instructs us to learn how to live whether we have nothing or whether we have plenty. Why? Because wealth, power, and status mean nothing to God.
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
1 Timothy 6:10
Friends, James could have chosen a multitude of life situations to contrast for our purposes in understanding this week’s lesson. He could have chosen marriage and singleness, health and illness, work and unemployment, but that’s not James. James, our realist, confronts the world’s conflicts head-on. And so, it’s no surprise that he chose what God claimed as the root of all evil, money! James, like Solomon, strives for his readers to not only gain Christ-like knowledge regarding wealth but also to use this knowledge to act; to make wise decisions in all of life’s difficult circumstances.
What is your attitude toward wealth? Take a minute right now to check your heart. Is there a love of money or perhaps a fear of not having any? Do your material possessions give you purpose? What treasures are you storing up…and for whom? These are the questions God wants us to consider as we walk through this week’s lesson. And honestly, it’s not an easy task. James knows that. And so, he challenges us to find our true wealth by growing our spiritual lives, not our bank accounts. And we do this by following Solomon’s advice to see our ‘wealth’ through the eyes of heaven. Why? Because God is interested in what lasts not in what fades away. The key to using our money wisely is to use it for the advancing of God’s kingdom, not for the benefit of ourselves. It is a selfless call to action.
Here’s the litmus test: what is your attachment to money? It’s the love of money that leads to sin. And we know that all sin, because of God’s grace, is level at the foot of the cross. But guess what? So, too, are the rich and the poor.
God Bless, see you Thursday!
