No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money. – Matthew 6:24
If money is a blessing, how can it also be a danger? Because money is a power. It lures us as a rival god and then makes increasing demands. It will seek to take control of your life. Money is a great servant, but it is not a good master.
We must all give an account for what we did with the money God has trusted to us. The more we have, the greater our responsibility. So, we need to know the dangers. What dangers does money bring?
Money can ruin you
An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end (Prov. 20:21). This proverb focuses on the dangers of money that comes quickly. What would be the effect on your children if suddenly they inherited a large amount of money? Think about the capacity of a person to handle the responsibility that comes with it. The same applies to lottery winnings and lawsuits, other ways to gain wealth hastily.
Instead, Proverbs commends the value of money saved over time. “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it” (13:11). As your money grows, your wisdom can grow with it.
Money can’t save you
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (11:4). Money makes us comfortable in this world. It distracts us from the reality that none of us will be here for long. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mk. 8:36).
Money is fleeting. The only solid and lasting things are things that are unseen! “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is” (Col. 3:1).
Which of these two warnings about money did you need to hear today?
