http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Tim%206:9-10&version=NIV1984
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Prov%2023:4&version=NIV1984
I just read an article yesterday that said former NFL All-star wide receiver Terrell Owens is broke. Or pretty close to it. This is amazing. And sad. It is estimated that Owens made $80 million during his career. $80 million and he’s almost broke! How could anyone spend $5.3 million per year, for 15 years, and be broke? Then there is former NBA star Antoine Walker. Over his career he earned more than $110 million. Yet he filed for bankruptcy in 2009, just 1 year after retiring from the NBA! Walker is said to own 2 Bentleys, 2 Mercedes, and built his mother a 10-bathroom mansion. In addition, he owes $770,000 in gambling-related debts at 3 Las Vegas casinos. The list of celebrities who have either gone bankrupt or lost everything is staggering.
The reason for people losing everything they own varies. In some cases, it is the result of an addiction. Alcohol. Drugs. Gambling. Prostitution. Pulling down an outrageous salary, receiving an inheritance or winning the lottery often gives people more money that they know what to do with. So they indulge themselves. And the addiction always wins. Other people simply make poor investments. There’s always plenty of them around. Some people are swindled. They get hooked up with an unscrupulous money manager. Or a relative or friend mismanages or steals their money. Still others spend indiscriminately. They are like a kid in a candy store. And so they buy everything in sight. Then there is divorce. This is one of the quickest ways to lose money. Everybody gets a piece of the pie. Often leaving behind only the crumbs.
The problem with having a lot of money (something that you and I can only dream about) is that it seems like it will last forever. And with wise and prudent investments, and a disciplined approach to spending, it can. But this is seldom the case. People who have a lot of money, often spend a lot of money. Then, when the income decreases or disappears, spending stays the same. Or maybe increases. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how that’s going to end!
Is money the problem? Hardly. The fact is that money can be the source of a great deal of satisfaction and blessing if handled the right way. Unfortunately it can also be the cause of untold heartache, headaches and grief. What is the difference? The person handling the money. Ah, now we are getting to the root of the problem.
In Luke 16:10, Jesus said, “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” In other words, if you can’t handle $100 then you won’t be able to handle $1 million. In fact, large amounts of money simply make available all kinds of temptations that were previously unknown or out of reach. So the way to handle large amounts of money is by being able to handle small amounts of money. This happens by learning to live within our income. By paying our bills on time. By avoiding impulse buying. By tithing. By putting money away for a rainy day. If we can do this successfully, then if God blesses us with more money, we will be able to handle it. And not the other way around.
Lord, in many ways I thank you that I do not have great wealth. Because along with it comes great responsibility. Help me not to worship money. Nor to love it. Or to constantly seek to obtain it. Help me to be content with what I have. And to manage it well. For Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The reason for people losing everything they own varies. In some cases, it is the result of an addiction. Alcohol. Drugs. Gambling. Prostitution. Pulling down an outrageous salary, receiving an inheritance or winning the lottery often gives people more money that they know what to do with. So they indulge themselves. And the addiction always wins. Other people simply make poor investments. There’s always plenty of them around. Some people are swindled. They get hooked up with an unscrupulous money manager. Or a relative or friend mismanages or steals their money. Still others spend indiscriminately. They are like a kid in a candy store. And so they buy everything in sight. Then there is divorce. This is one of the quickest ways to lose money. Everybody gets a piece of the pie. Often leaving behind only the crumbs.
The problem with having a lot of money (something that you and I can only dream about) is that it seems like it will last forever. And with wise and prudent investments, and a disciplined approach to spending, it can. But this is seldom the case. People who have a lot of money, often spend a lot of money. Then, when the income decreases or disappears, spending stays the same. Or maybe increases. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how that’s going to end!
Is money the problem? Hardly. The fact is that money can be the source of a great deal of satisfaction and blessing if handled the right way. Unfortunately it can also be the cause of untold heartache, headaches and grief. What is the difference? The person handling the money. Ah, now we are getting to the root of the problem.
In Luke 16:10, Jesus said, “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” In other words, if you can’t handle $100 then you won’t be able to handle $1 million. In fact, large amounts of money simply make available all kinds of temptations that were previously unknown or out of reach. So the way to handle large amounts of money is by being able to handle small amounts of money. This happens by learning to live within our income. By paying our bills on time. By avoiding impulse buying. By tithing. By putting money away for a rainy day. If we can do this successfully, then if God blesses us with more money, we will be able to handle it. And not the other way around.
Lord, in many ways I thank you that I do not have great wealth. Because along with it comes great responsibility. Help me not to worship money. Nor to love it. Or to constantly seek to obtain it. Help me to be content with what I have. And to manage it well. For Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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