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Where Is God In My Financial Security?

‘Money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich man’s world’, sang ABBA in 1976. The book of Ecclesiastes has a lot to say about how we live our lives and what we think is important. The writer looks at what really makes sense, and that the most important is to fear God and keep His commands (Eccl. 12:13).  

What great advice for us! Money is often our biggest concern. Of course, it’s important. We need it to buy things and to live. We work to earn it and to save up for retirement. The issue is when it becomes our all-consuming, primary focus.  

The Bible has many examples of where a focus on wealth has brought upon God’s judgment. The rich fool whose focus was only on his wealth built big barns to store all his grain. King Ahab stole the vineyard from his neighbor Naboth (1 Kings 21). The couple in Acts 5 hid the value of the land they sold. All were condemned by God.

Jesus tells us in Luke 12:15, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist of an abundance of possessions.’ He encourages us to give to those in need and not to brag about it (Matt. 6). Paul reminds us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Money can’t be both our servant and master and can cause people to wander away from the faith (1 Tim. 6:10).

In the end, our financial position is a gift from God and we are to be His stewards in all aspects of our lives with what has been entrusted to us, especially money.

written by DAVID BARKER