One of my all time favorite songs is the legendary O Jay's classic hit “For the Love of Money". What attracted me to the song were the wonderful beat and the hook:
“Money...money...money-- MONEY! Some people got to have it! Hey, Hey Some people really need it…”
This song has a completely different meaning to me now than it did 30 years ago. Today I know the O Jay's were referencing one of the most popular and misquoted verses in the Bible: " For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows"(1 Timothy 6:10).
Many people misquote the verse saying, “Money is the root of evil.” That is dead wrong and it is not at all what the Bible tells us about money. It is important to note that money is neither good nor evil. It is the love of money that is wrong. Loving, lusting, lying, dying and killing for money are where the evil lies. When one loses all perspective and sets money as his or her primary objective in life, money is the root of evil. When money is worshipped and becomes a god for a person is when money is used to manifest evil. Money is defined by the heart and soul of every man, woman and child who conceives of it, gains it, loses it, lacks it or gives it a way.
Money is for surety an evil god. Money, however, does not make itself an evil god; we do! According to Matthew 6:24:" No Man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon."
Regarding money there are two essential tests we must pass. The first test has to do with how we act when we have money and the second test has to do with how we act when we have no money. When you love money it becomes your master, but when you master money it will become your servant. So what are you? The central question here is the one that Christ posed. What does it profit you to gain all the money in the world and lose your own soul?
Moving forward it will serve you best if you decide to look at money as a tool. For instance, a hammer is a tool. It’s a tool of the trade for a carpenter and great and useful things can be built or repaired with a hammer. A hammer in the hands of a tantrum throwing three year old, however, is a potential danger. A hammer wielded by an assailant against a defenseless victim on a darkened street is a harmful weapon used for evil intent. Do you see? It’s the intent that makes the hammer evil. It is the same way with money. Money has to always be regarded as a tool. As a tool, it can be used for good or bad. What are your intentions around money? Money, takes on the morals or values of the person who holds it. When money becomes your master, it can destroy your life. When, however, money is your servant, it can bless your life and the lives of millions of others. Listen now to what the O Jay's said:
“For a small piece of paper it carries a lot of weight; For The Love of Money! Do not sell your soul for the money- No, no!”
That is profoundly prophetic and powerful advice. I also love the way that Paul put in 1 Timothy 6:17: "Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage- to do well, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.”
Wow, you go boy, that's what I am talking about! Being rich in atonement with God is what is important in life. When you master money and put it in the proper perspective for the tool that it is, it is then and only then that you are on the road to wealth and abundance greater than anything you may have ever even conceived of before. When you begin to understand that reciprocity is an energy and force of God that keeps all things growing and moving.
Remember, Christ said that it is better to give than to receive. It is about sowing and reciprocity. When you sow, you reap. You can be rich, but first, so that your wealth is real, let us seek to be worthy.
Get ready to go to the next level in your faith, in your family, in your future and your finances! Contact me at TODAY by visiting www.kenbrowninternational.com
