Many years ago, I read a book about some missionaries in Papua, New Guinea. One of those missionaries had already established a home, that he built himself, in the area. He had been ministering to the local tribes from this base for some time. The house was dry and functional but was uncomfortably hot. No matter; this is the sacrifice that many missionaries have to make in the field.
When he went on sabbatical, his replacement, who lived on another part of the island, moved into the home temporarily with his own family. As an astute DIY guy, this new missionary came up with a plan. By cutting away a few inches from the top of all the internal walls, he created natural vents throughout the house. The resulting air-flow cooled the house and made living conditions a lot more bearable.
The original home-owner returned from his sabbatical to a more comfortable home than the one he had left. The vents were barely noticeable to the eye and the house was much cooler than before. However, he found this less than ideal.
Before embarking on his missionary journey, this man had understood that sacrifice and suffering for the sake of Christ were part and parcel of the deal. In his mind, his new comfort not only alleviated but actually undermined that self imposed suffering and he wanted no part of it.
He quickly boarded up the vents, restoring the home to its former, stifling interior temperature.
Let me say at the outset, I don’t mean to belittle this man’s life or work. This is a godly man who was, ultimately, martyred for his faith. He was a trail-blazer who forged the path that others followed to bring the gospel to a people steeped in animistic religions. Many of those people are Christians today because of the work done by this man an others like him.
That said, the stifling heat he chose to endure in his home was little more than self imposed suffering that God neither required nor asked for. His temporary replacement, also a trail-blazer, was no less godly for using his skills and knowledge to create a more comfortable living environment in the mission-field.
One missionary’s self imposed desire to endure this discomfort was based on nothing more than a preconceived belief about suffering for the sake of Christ. This informed his interpretation of scripture and led to decisions that might seem odd to other believers with a different perspective.
The first man’s preconceived beliefs made him no more or less godly than the other missionary but they certainly made him a lot less comfortable.
Self Imposed Suffering
So it is with many Christians when it comes to money; there is a preconceived belief that avoidance (or lack) of money is the opposite of the love of money. As such, we think we have won the battle against the love of money as long as we feel poor; this is simply not the case.
This is merely a different form of self imposed suffering.
Neither poverty nor financial lack immunize us from the love of money. The love of money is a state of heart; not a bank balance.
How do we know this? Ask yourself a simple question (and dare to answer it honestly); are you satisfied with your current income? As long as the answer to that question is no, then it is possible the love of money remains an issue in your life, according to the following scripture.
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
This may be a hard message but it is what the Bible says.
Of course, our automatic human response is, ‘I don’t love money. All I want is to have enough to pay my bills and get by. If I had just a little more than I do right now, I would have all I need and then be satisfied.’
That is simply falling prey to the Deceitfulness of Riches. The love of money has not gone away. It has merely obscured itself behind the delusion that just a little more will bring contentment.
Many believers think the deceitfulness of riches is the foolish notion that wealth will bring fulfillment and happiness. This mindset focuses all our attention on some perceived danger around a distant bend in the path ahead while disregarding the snares underfoot that have already entrapped us, their victims.
Many people will spend their entire life reaching for ‘just a little more’ without ever understanding the truth of Ecclesiastes 5:10; the truth that they will never be satisfied.
Just a little more – then you will be satisfied. The deceitfulness of riches dangles ever before us like the proverbial carrot ahead of the donkey. Captivating, yet always out of reach. It keeps the donkey moving forward, so consumed by the carrot’s allure that it fails to see the big picture.
In order to overcome the love of money and the deceitfulness of riches, we must learn to be content with what we already have. This includes our current income.
This involves tough choices about what we can afford and what we can’t. It also requires the application of knowledge and wisdom to reduce our expenses and live beneath our means. All of this takes effort on our part. It takes courage and sacrifice. But, beyond all that pain, there lies the reward.
The Joy of Stewardship
When we overcome the love of money, we break its power in our lives. It finally puts us in a place where we can truthfully say I have more than enough. This gives us that much-needed breathing room in which we are finally able to make ends meet with what we have now. Our newfound wisdom allows us to begin paying down the consumer-debt we have incurred. God-willing, we may even be able to save a few dollars each month; the seed which we can plant for future harvest.
Does our new-found freedom from the love of money mean we reject that next salary increase or promotion at work? Of course not. However, having now broken Mammon’s power over our lives, all that extra cash suddenly offers us more opportunities for stewardship rather than merely the ability to catch up some long-outstanding bills – or to generate some new ones.
With our first sound investments underway, we can begin honing our skills to become wiser stewards of that with which God has already blessed us.
‘But this is just wealth building!’ I hear you say. ‘That’s simply the love of money in another form.’
I will say it again. The love of money is a state of heart; not a bank balance. Yes, we need to search our hearts diligently and root out the love of money wherever we find it. We all need to do this regularly, whether from a place of abundance or from a place of lack.
As we learn to manage our finances better, so we expand our freedom and choice. This creates opportunities for us to not only live the lives that God intends for us, but also to help others live the life that God intends for them. In this way, we use our earthly funds and income-producing assets to ‘store up treasure in heaven’.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:20-21
As wise stewards of God’s resources, we understand that all we have and all we earn belongs to God. The investments and wealth we build should not be for ourselves but rather for God and his kingdom.