1 Timothy 6: 9-10 -”But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
We understand that money itself is not sinful, but the covetous desire to get more is and this evil love can adversely affect every single area of my life. I believe the Lord is challenging me to examine my life to see if I am in this love of money trap. The verse says that the root cause of every evil thing can be traced to the evil desire for more money. Can this be? Well, I started thinking of different sins and was surprised. I will list only four that I thought of, but again challenge us to consider our ways and see if we may unknowingly be in this terrible love of money trap.
First, Proverbs 6:6 tells us to not be a sluggard – lazy. Oh how the “free” money some of our fellow Americans are receiving is tempting us to not work as God says and commit the sin of laziness. Second, on the other hand, how many of us work overtime or do side jobs on Sunday and thus skip church when we could have chosen otherwise – Hebrews 10:25. Third, parents are given the charge by our Father to train and raise the children He gives them [Ephesians 6:1], but because of the love of money we “delegate” that duty to a daycare, grandparents, or friends. Could we be content with a lower standard of living, trust God for His provision, and fulfill that all important duty of raising our kids? Fourth, how is our business integrity? Are we tempted to cheat, lie, deceive, be dishonest in any shape, form, or fashion, to make more money, to close a lucrative business deal? Our Lord says in Proverbs 11:1 that such behavior is abomination to Him. Do I feel the same way?
If we discover that we have fallen into the love of money trap, 2 Timothy 2: 25-26 gives us the enablement to be free. We can recover ourselves out of this snare, by repenting and acknowledging the truth of His Word. Purpose to obey the instruction of God’s Word in whatever area of life in order to avoid the love of money trap.