Throughout my Christian walk I’ve seen many people led astray by one worldly attachment or another. The idea of being wealthy seemingly is the pinnacle of success not only in America but the world. This is nothing new and being wealthy has been idolized to extreme measures since the earliest moments of human history.
The love of money has led to all sorts of evil in this world and has caused a lot of tragedy. As Christians it is imperative to understand that although the desire to become more successful at what we do or more financially stable is not inherently wrong, we should remember to always keep God at the center of our lives. We should always put Him first. If we do not put God first in our lives the desire to become wealthy will eventually corrupt us leading to a life of sin and regret.
The reality of life is that we came into this world with nothing. What we happen to be blessed with is a gift from the Father. The Bible says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). We need to remember to not be selfish in nature, solely focused on wealth and personal goals. After all we can’t take any material possessions with us after this life.
1 Timothy 6:9-10: “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
The love of money is very rampant in the prosperity gospel—actually it is the main focus. Prosperity preaching is unbiblical. I highly recommend to anyone who is not familiar with the term “prosperity gospel” to Google it; you will be amazed at what you will discover.
Jeremiah 17:11: “The person who gets money dishonestly is like a bird that hatches eggs it didn’t lay. In the prime of life he will lose his riches, and in the end he is nothing but a fool.”
God is fully aware of all those who twist and conform his word to fit their own personal desires. Trust me when I say he is not pleased.
Revelation 22:18: “Testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”