Desire for money
Money is not evil, it is people’s
attitudes toward money that can be evil. God has blessed men
and women throughout history with money. Even those who have
not been blessed with tons of money still need it for the
barest of essentials in life. What we do with money and how
we view it is the biggest difference.
Man cannot serve both God and money.
If acquiring money or possessions is the most important
thing in your life, then serving God is not the most
important thing in your life. Money and possessions can
quickly become idols in our lives. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote
that “earthly goods are given to be used, not to be
collected.”
Everything we have is a gift from God
and we should recognize it as such. Just like in the book of
Job, God can take away just as quickly as he can give. The
Apostle Paul found the secret. In Philippians 4:11-12 he
writes, “I have learned to be content whatever the
circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know
what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of
being content in any and every situation, whether well fed
or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Paul
understood that possessions weren’t the key to happiness but
rather God was.
How does this relate to evangelism? It
is quite simple. People will see what our priorities are. If
our priorities are in having money and new things and better
things than everyone else, that will be apparent. Likewise,
it will be apparent that God is not the most important thing
in our life. This makes it very difficult to persuade
someone that God should be most important in their life if
He isn’t in yours.
Having money and possessions does not
mean that God isn’t most important in our lives. We can love
God and still have possessions. But whichever is most
important to us will be apparent to everyone we witness to.
Next Section - Worry
