Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have…
These simple words shroud great difficulty in our culture. They are easier to say than do, and once done, they are even harder to keep doing.
The Stoics of ancient Greece and Rome sought to be content with what they had, but their aim was far different from what God asks of each of us: the Stoics sought to free themselves of the desire of anything external and to live satisfied with one’s natural potential so that they could be self-sufficient.*
So much of the love of money is wrapped up in a desire to be self-sufficient. Past situations that required us to depend upon others in uncomfortable ways or in ways that left us hurting propel us to seek money wholeheartedly. A love of money may be wrapped up in a desire to seek control. There is one glaring problem with the view of the Stoic: it fails to deal with the heart issue of self-sufficiency. God asks us to depend upon someone else: Him.
The letters of Paul refer to the love of money as idolatry (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5).* Why? Because we are plugging into something other than God as our Source. In looking to something else as our Source of security, we are setting that something (the love of money) up as our god.
Stedman shares,
The point of danger is the love of money which cancels out the sense of God’s love and promised supply, and launches the believer into worldly schemes for financial security that belie all trust in God.
The financial mechanisms of this world are unreliable at best. Failure can pounce at any moment like a wild cat set on death. The short history of our country demonstrates the fragility of our economy. It is a kingdom that can easily be shaken.
Freedom from the love of money is another expression of the unshakeable Kingdom of Heaven.* The one who finds freedom from the love of money does so by relying on God and His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. This is the way of the Kingdom. Do you believe Him?
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to believe that He will never leave you or forsake you. Perhaps today God wants you to trust Him as your source. Maybe today God wants you to abandon your love of money. Perhaps today God wants you to repent and change the way you live your life toward Him.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Stedman, R. C. (1992). Hebrews (Heb 13:1-6). IVP Academic.
Grindheim, S. (2023). The Letter to the Hebrews (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 668–669). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
France, R. T. (2006). Hebrews. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 184). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. (1998). Hebrews (p. 437). Zondervan Publishing House.