”He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.“
Ecclesiastes 5:10 ESV
The saying that “money can’t buy happiness” is well known. And not only well known, but universally accepted. Well, at least on the surface. It’s one of those things that all of us say, yet none of us bother to practice unless prevailed upon by the Holy Spirit.
Mike Tyson is famous for, amongst other things, for saying that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. That’s certainly true. A bop to the beak turns a good many would-be tough guys into retreat experts. Well, just the same, all of us like to say that we don’t have a problem with the love of money and then we’re punched in the nose by life.
R.C. Sproul once said that over his years as a pastor that he had people in his office seeking counsel for all sorts of sins. Lust. Anger. Laziness. Addictions. But never once had anyone asked for help with covetousness. It was, Sproul opined, a nearly invisible sin. The bop in the bill that exposes it is what we do, not what we think we are. There’s an insanity at work in the lives of Christians who convince themselves that they don’t have a struggle with covetousness. After all, the reality of the modern economic system, not to mention the entirety of the Democrat Party platform, is built upon greed. The lie is that I can’t be greedy if I don’t have a lot of money. But that’s a matter of comparison. It’s like the husband who’s committing adultery with a mistress defending himself by saying he’s not a porn star. The amount we have, nor what we desire, isn’t the standard. What counts is that we aren’t content with the Lord’s provision.
The love of money (literally silver in the original language) is the desire for it on its own terms. Likewise with wealth…with capital and/or the things that bring wealth. Greed is a stealthy sin, indeed, because it’s easier to hide than, say, a theft. Covetousness and greed are life attitudes that can be hidden readily by both the lazy and the industriousness, which is why we should all be careful in the Lord. The root of it is the heart attitude that governs our life. The love of money or wealth is idolatry (Colossians 3:5) because it means that we’ve become convinced that stuff is our God. To delight ourselves in the Lord (Psalm 37:4) and to seek the blessing that is faithfulness (Psalm 1:1) means that our primary focus and goal in life is the Lord. The lover of money and wealth thinks first and foremost about their position and/or material benefit rather than God’s glory. Despite the Lord commanding us to seek first His kingdom and its righteousness (Matthew 6:33) we too easily fall prey to the seduction of money and worldly success.
The godly use of personal talents and labor is always focused on God’s glory and the benefit of our neighbor. The righteousness of the Lord that we’re commanded to seek drives out a sinful preoccupation with what our neighbor has. That’s none of our business anyway. The reason that the lover of money and wealth is never satisfied is because we were made for God, not stuff. If a man or woman has Jesus Christ, they have everything in the world and this alone is the source of contentment. The meek will literally inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5) but the wicked will be driven away like chaff (Psalm 1:4).
The Christian virtue of contentment is inextricably linked to our attitude of thankfulness. Like a man going to the doctor because he has symptoms of some terrible disease, we should all know what signs there are that indicate if our hearts have turned to idols. The cancer of covetousness and the love of money stalks our pews and Christian homes!
First, are we thankful to the Lord in all things or do we find ourselves daydreaming too much about what we’d like to have (Ecclesiastes 6:9)? Planning in the Lord, via prayerful and joyous petition, is good. That’s Godly ambition and productivity. But delaying happiness until some goal or another is achieved “in the Lord” is delusional. If we aren’t joyous now in the Lord, we’ll never be.
Second, do we gossip about others…especially in regard to what they have and the achievements or title they hold? Jealousy is a severe sign of advanced covetousness (Romans 13:8). Gossip and jealousy are usually there because we have an entitlement mentality rather than one of humble thankfulness before God. No one owes us anything.
Third, are we genuinely happy for the blessings that God gives others or do we catch ourselves saying, “It must be nice” (Romans 12:15)? We should be learning to rejoice in the talents and gifts he gives others and not see them in any way as a challenge or diminishment to ourselves.
Fourth, do we vote Democrat because we think that the rich have to pay their “fair share?” There is no Scriptural mandate for confiscatory taxes in the name of justice. Such is simply theft under the cover of law…immoral law. The sin is compounded because the mugger or thief doesn’t, in the main, consider themselves morally excellent as does the socialist. All socialistic schemes are downstream of the putrid pool of covetousness. Socialistic tax schemes are not, repeat not, Biblical charity or tithing and supporting them displays a theology of covetousness, not true love of the poor and downtrodden. True giving requires thought and biblical testing (Romans 12:2; 1 Timothy 5:8-16; 2 Thessalonians 3:10).
Fifth, are we cheerful givers (2 Corinthians 9:7) who truly want to meet a need in the Lord and for the Lord’s glory? Any thought that the recipient owes us is a dreadful sin! And so is turning a blind eye to a need that we can fulfill in the Lord (James 2:14-17). A miserly Christian is a contradiction in terms. How can the grace of Christ, who gives us all things, not inspire the same in us?
Sixth, what is the goal of our giving/service? If it’s not to bring about thanksgiving to God alone then we’re actually guilty of sin (Mathew 6:3).
Seventh, do we find ourselves grumbling and complaining? A life of thanksgiving in the Lord is the product of a heart full of trust in the Lord’s providential care. An ungrateful heart produces conflict and strife with others due to its fear. To reject faithfulness to God is to live in fear of tomorrow, which then turns into us seeing others as competition. Life is thus a conflict of interests with others rather than a harmony of interests in Christ.
Eighth, do we have a preoccupation with politics and the future? In short, are we vexed by anxiety? As you noticed, we previously called out the sin of Marxist social-engineering practiced by the Democrat party. We did that because it’s a fact and a sin. But many contemporary Christians become so invested in the so-called culture war that they lose their peace and joy in Christ. This is often due to an unhealthy attachment to their wealth and money and the fear that they’ll lose these things through politics. But the law of the Lord and faith in Christ is more precious than fine gold (i.e., any material possession we could ever have) and sweeter than honey (i.e., any physical pleasure) and those are ours in Him!
The love of money/wealth is idolatry. It causes stress and conflict because it believes that what one has is what secures him/her instead of the Lord.
That said, like a boxer who jogs every morning and watches his diet, who keeps his hands up in training, we must guard our hearts with the truth of God lest we fall victim to covetousness.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.“
Matthew 6:19–21, 24–34 ESV
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