Money i$ a Terrible god.
Money is not only a terrible god…it is probably the worst of all gods. EveryOne worships something. We long to connect with something greater than ourselves so that we can transcend self. Money is the most common idol in our culture. People worship and serve money more than any other thing.
5 Symptoms of Money Worship:
Money makes your decisions. How do you decide what to do and what not to do? Consider how you make major life decisions. Do you make those decisions based on what the money tells you? Is money the primary factor in where you live, where you work, what you drive, how you vote, and what you value?
Money is what you work for. Are you working for a paycheck? Are you spending 40 plus hours a week working for money? Is money your primary motivation?
Money determines your mood. How much does money impact your emotions? Do you look to money for security, comfort, safety, meaning, purpose, and identity?
Money is viewed as a blessing. Do you think that more money will make your life better? Do you believe that people who have more money than you are blessed and that people who have less are cursed? Do you use terms like “good” and “bad” to refer to neighborhoods based on how much it costs to live there? Do you then subtly assign value to people based on their financial position?
Money is what you fight for. What do you argue about? What do your disagreements with your spouse, kids, family members, neighbors, coworkers, clients, and community revolve around? What angers you? When do you feel threatened?
If your decision making is based on what money tells you, you will be perpetually lost. If you work for money, you will hate your job. If you hope for money, you will be perpetually disappointed. If money is your primary motivation, you will be miserable. If money is how you determine good from bad, your judgement will be flawed. If money is what you fight for, you will always be at war.
5 Reasons Money is a Terrible god:
Money is imaginary.I find it hilarious when I talk about God and money and people try to explain to me how they are living in the “real” world. Money is not real. It is a completely made-up system of loosely agreed upon value. Show me your money. Is it a number in a bank account, some gold in a safe, or a little bit of cash on hand? The One true God is not imaginary. He is Creator. His creation proves His existence. God created humans. Humans created money. Worship the Creator not the creation.
Money always changes. How’s that inflation treating you? Are interest rates holding steady? I’m sure the market closed yesterday without any volatility. Why would we worship serve something that is never consistent? Money is a moving target that is changed by countless variables.
Money cannot provide love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You know the saying: “Can’t buy me love.” Money cannot give us the things we crave most deeply. “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36 NIV)
Money is temporary. Death is coming. Death is not the end. Money can’t go with you. Do not waste your life in the pursuit of something temporary.
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV) When people are controlled by money, they do terrible things.
Is money your god or do you worship the One true God? How do you know?
“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.” (Matthew 6:24 NIV)
If you let go of money, it will have no hold on you. The only way money can be your god is if you make money your god. It cannot love you back. It cannot meet your deepest needs. It cannot save you or make your life worth living. Let it go.
