Point of Repentance: The Love of Money
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Scripture:
Matthew 6:21, 24 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
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Observation:
It has been rightly said that God doesn’t mind you having money. He just doesn’t want money to have you. This was the thing that kept the rich young ruler from following Jesus. Sadly, the love of money keeps many from the kingdom. We all need to work and to have money to live. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “If anyone will not work, neither shall they eat.” The problem comes in when we love money and the pursuit of it more than God.
What does it mean to love money? You serve what you love. It means that it is your priority. If the choice is make money or worship God in the house of the Lord, we choose to worship the almighty dollar. It is when the pursuit of money consumes our mind, emotions, and determines our decisions. It results in us not tithing, working too much, and missing out on our lives. We all have bills to pay, but we must live lives that honor God and not to forget about Him as we strive for another payday.
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Application:
You will either serve God or money. You can’t do both. When people get into financial trouble, the first question I ask is, “Are you tithing?” Most of the time the answer is, “No.” God doesn’t need your money, He wants your heart. If you trust Him enough to obey, He promises to provide for Your needs (Matthew 6:33). In Malachi 3:10, God tells us if we tithe (10% of our income), He will pour out a great blessing in our lives. When we stop tithing, we actually stop trusting God.
We need to do inventory with the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to reveal if you have been pursuing a paycheck over His presence. Then, reprioritize your schedule to make time to sit at His feet in the word and in prayer, go to church, serve where you can. It’s about finding a godly balance and trusting that God is a good Father, Provider, and Protector. When you choose to come to Him, He does the heavy lifting so you can find rest. When we love the Lord more than money, we will break the bondage of poverty and materialism.
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Prayer of Repentance:
Lord, thank You for today. Holy Spirit, test my heart and examine my life. Show me where I have been out alignment with You in regards to finances and the pursuit of money. I repent for loving and serving money and for making it an idol in my life. Help me to reprioritize Your presence in my life and to trust You to meet my needs as I obey You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
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Worship: