1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 6:6-10  Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment,  ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

For the past several years I have been diligently working towards financial freedom.  Next month I will pay off the third of four credit cards and by the end of the year I will have paid off two of my three student loans (leaving me with one credit card and one student loan).  As I am planning to go back to school to earn my Doctorate in Ministry, I am budgeting to be able to pay as I go.  I am not looking to go into any more debt.

When I was in my 20’s, I got into crazy debt – some was by necessity (student loans for seminary and credit cards to cover what student loans didn’t pay).  But some of my debt was from being impatient.  If I wanted something, I just pulled out a credit card and bought it.  Sometimes it was a plane ticket to come home for the holidays, other times I was buying tickets to a musical.  Either way, I was purchasing things I didn’t really have the money for…but I thought I needed.  I bought into the lie that I could have whatever I wanted now and pay for it later…well I have been paying for it – for many years I’ve been paying for it.

Financial responsibility is something I was never taught.  Sure – I took economics in high school, but no one ever sat down with me and talked about responsible spending and how much it really costs to purchase on a credit card or to take out a loan.  This is why I’m a huge advocate for financial ministries like Crown and Financial Peace begin taught to high schoolers and college students.  Getting this understanding early would have saved me a lot of heartache.

Scripture is pretty clear that we need to become content with what we have.  If we have food and clothing, we’re good to go.  We don’t have to own the latest fashion or eat at the best restaurants; we just need to have enough clothing to protect our bodies and enough food to keep us alive.  Scripture gets misquoted and people say that money is the root of all evil.  This is not true.  God understands that we need money – to buy clothes and food and keep a roof over our heads.  But Paul states that the love of money is the root of all evil.  It is when money becomes more important than anything else that we enter the danger zone.  If we love money and do anything to pursue it, God loses His place as number one in our lives.  Our desire to help others falls by the wayside.  Providing for our families is no longer the purpose of work.  The love of money can spiral out of control.  We need to check ourselves before this happens.

What does your relationship with money look like?  Is it healthy – just working to pay the bills and provide for your family?  Or is it unhealthy – earning as much as you can and spending more than you bring in?  We need to learn to be content where we are.

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy