See http://www.joelwnelson.com/articles/On Love of Money.pdf for a current copy of this post!

Part Two
Perceived security is one of the foundations of our current economic system. We want to feel like what we have stored up will carry us through times that are less prosperous, so we have set up many different means of accumulating money and goods for the future. From savings plans to retirement accounts, we seem to have a plan for every phase of life. But while a reasonable amount of financial planning is certainly responsible, it is easy to put too much trust in our savings so that we are tempted to rely on it.

Jesus addressed this in what we refer to as the “Sermon on the Mount” after he made the statement that “You cannot serve God and money.” The audience may have immediately began wondering how they would take care of themselves and their families if they did not have sums of money stored up – much like a modern-day audience would.

Perhaps sensing their thoughts, Jesus continues: “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.”

I don’t say this authoritatively, but it seems like the context of this passage would indicate that not only is it impossible to be devoted to God and to money, but also that being anxious about things of this world – even basic needs like food and clothing – is indicative a trust in money rather than in God.

Also, I don’t say this to point fingers at the weaknesses of others. As much as I would like to think I have this down, the fact is that I still find myself basing future planning off of dollars and cents rather than trusting in God to provide for each day.

It’s not by any means an easy issue to work out, but I believe it is nonetheless important due to the clear teaching that “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.” With this in mind, it seems that it would follow that serving money (including trusting in it for provision for the future) may also be the basis for many other situations, including greed, control, marital issues, oppression, injustice, theft, and much more.

One may be tempted to take this passage and others pertaining to greed and love of money and demonstrate how many others fail – pointing the blame at oppressive regimes, greedy politicians, economic policies favoring the rich – and while these are by no means right, for most of us they are not our own sins but rather another’s. And thus, aside from doing what is within our power to help make things right, continuing to focus on these wrongs of another may be indicative of a blindness to one’s own weaknesses.

The next part of the sermon, however, speaks directly to this tendency. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Money… life demands it, but when allowed to grow out of proportion, it can easily become a monster that allows nothing else to share its place. Let this go out as a plea to keep it what it can rightfully be – a resource, and not what it often becomes – false security.