The Balance

It has been wrongly said that the Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil. The Bible teaches no such thing. Rather, it teaches that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10, emphasis added). There is a difference. The issue is not money, but the love of it. Verse 10 continues, “for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” So we see that as a result of coveting money, some actually have strayed from the faith.

You might look at someone who has been blessed financially and think, “That person is obviously very worldly and money-oriented.” Then you look at those who have very little and conclude they aren’t materialistic. But the fact of the matter is that just the opposite may be true. It may be that the person who has been blessed gives more than you will ever know, but just doesn’t tell anyone about it. It also may be that the person who has very little is obsessed with money. The point is that if you are obsessed with money, it can destroy your life spiritually. For some people, having a lot could result in their spiritual ruin.

We need to find the right balance, just as one writer in Proverbs observed: “Feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:8–9).