Why Do We Love Money? by Shalene

I wrote a post on Freedom In The Spirit today on the Roots of All Kinds of evil. We know what that is, right? Love of Money. We've all heard that saying that "Money is the root of all evil." Well that's not entirely correct. It is the "love of money" that is "the root of all evil." 1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV (emphasis on "love of")

How does a love of money cause evil? Well Paul states in 1 Timothy 6:9 "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." and in 1 Timothy 6:10 "...which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

I have experienced this recently on a small scale, because I do try not to have a love of money and material things. The operative word being try. I do have a nice house, we are a two car family, we have plenty of clothes (much more than we need) and plenty of food. The necessary food and clothing are all that we are supposed to have want of. Not all the extras.

Why do we want these things? Well, first, I think it's because we have bought in to the lie that we "need" these things to be successful in life. The problem with that mindset is that the golden ring of "success" is ever out of reach. You never really do grasp it. Second, I think we become accustomed to what we have and the ability to "get more." It becomes like an addiction or an obsession for us.

I've found myself, recently, praying for a means of learning to live more simplistically. I love my house- I did choose it after all- but I should not love it. It should only be a roof over my head. It should hold no more importance than that. I love my car- because it gets me from point A to point B- without inconvenience (most of the time.) But I should not love it. I should be willing to walk or share a ride with someone if necessary. I love my clothes, because they make me feel pretty. But I should not love them. They should be a means of cover only. They should not feed my vanity.

This, I think is where we end up piercing ourselves with sorrows. We find ourselves with so many material possessions, that we've become "addicted" or attached to them, and cannot let them go. We lose sight of the fact that we can't take any of it with us. We also turn a blind eye to the fact that it keeps us from our spiritual best, and that of our families as well. In illustration: you have a good job that pays fairly well, but you have to work hard for that paycheck. Your job becomes your biggest or one of your biggest focuses. Then you start buying things with that paycheck, because it makes you feel like the work you put in has some value. But soon, you become accustomed to those things you have and the lifestyle you've created, and you cannot break the hold that Mammon now has on your life. Or if you could, you're unwilling too, because then you feel like a failure at the lie called "success."

I entered a contest to win tickets to a 3 day Christian concert recently, and learned the other day that I was not one of the winners. I was very disappointed. I understood that there were probably others that needed the free tickets more than I did, and after all, I was the winner last year. But the fact of the matter is this, because of the lifestyle choices we have made, I can't afford to pay to go. So my children and I will miss out on something that I've looked forward to attending since I came home from it last year.

Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't see this as lesson in not loving money. I mean how does not getting to go to something translate into not having a love of stuff, right? Well, the reason it is a lesson for me is because one, I love worshipping the Lord through music, and this venue provides a means of doing so. Two, this is a great way to be in fellowship with other believers outside of church. Three, it was a way for me to spend some quality time with my children, that I just don't seem to be able to find time to do at home. I know, it's sad that I need an excuse like that to spend quality time with my kids, but there it is. At home, life gets in the way. And because I have allowed life and lifestyle to dictate what I can and can't afford, I do not have the money for things that should be primary. Only the Things that should be unimportant.

--Lord, I thank you for this lesson, and I humbly ask your forgiveness for this sin. I do wish to love You above all things, and I wish to be a good witness to my children, to that which is important, and that which is not. I pray that you help me to have the wisdom necessary to learn how to change my lifestyle, and put my focus back on You, where it belongs. I also pray that if it be Your will, that the means to go to that concert, will present itself after all. I thank you for the opportunity to use my life to further Your Kingdom, and to bring Glory to Your Name. I pray these things in Jesus' Holy Name. Amen.