Ecclesiastes 5:10-12, 1 Timothy 6:10, Ecclesiastes 5:19, Luke 16:13, Matthew 7:24-27

Jim Lowe considers how God would like us to enjoy and use money.



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I love what it says in Ecclesiastes 5:19, 'It is a good thing to receive wealth from God...enjoy it'.

There is nothing wrong with money. It's great, but we need to enjoy it. Life is short.

Now please don't think I'm encouraging you to be stupid with money, because I'm not.

But I've met a lot of people over the years who are always saving for that rainy day. The problem is they keep saving and the rainy day never comes. It's good to save. But it's not good to save money for the sake of saving it and miss out on the good things in life.

There is more to life than money. There are hobbies, friends, family, BBQs, football and the list goes on.

Jesus said this in Luke 16:13, '"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money"'.

Jesus is not saying here that you can't have money and serve God. What Jesus is saying is you can't be completely in love with money and serve God.

In England years ago, along the main road or highways as they were known, there were men who would steal your money. They were known as the Highway Men and they would jump out at your horse and carriage and say, "Your money or your life".

Your money or your life. I think Jesus and the writer of Ecclesiastes are trying to say it's your money or your life. If money becomes an obsession, then you'll lose your life.

But when you choose to live your life, enjoying the creation God has given, then money just becomes part of the tools to enjoy it.

Money is not a bad thing, it's a good thing. It can make such a difference, especially if we are generous. But it's obsession with money that causes problems.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus talks about where we are putting our security. The rock and security that we can build our lives on is God. He's the same yesterday, today and forever.

What foundation are you building your life on? When the hard times come, is that foundation going to stand strong, or is it going to disappear? CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.