IS MONEY THE ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything.

Ecclesiastes 10:19

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

All throughout Ecclesiastes, chapter 10, Solomon shares with us maxims and proverbs regarding foolish behavior and attitudes. As the chapter comes to a close, the next last verse in this series tells us this:

A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. (v 10)

Now on the surface, the verse seems harmless enough. In fact someone with a worldly perspective on life might actually be able to completely relate to the verse and think it as a totally proper summation of life’s purpose. Eat, drink, and work to have the money to do both as much as you want as well as anything else you desire to do. For as long as you have money, you have it all.

After all, money is the answer to everything.

Or is it?

Think about that kind of life attitude for a minute. If money is the answer to everything, then it becomes the object of our desire for no matter what life brings our way we can take care of it if we have money. And so we work hours and hours and hours to attain it or look for ways we can get money free through handouts or entitlements. We even could be led to go as far as obtain money through illegal pretenses like stealing or extortion or bribery. Yes, money can lead us to sin and evil in a hurry when it becomes our answer for everything. Thus, it’s little wonder that God’s word has this to say about it:

The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 1 Timothy 6:10a

I think this would indicate to us that money is not the answer for everything. Only a fool would believe otherwise.

But let’s dig a little deeper here on this matter just in case you are not already convinced about the perils of money worshiping for here are two other verses we need to consider on the matter, verses that will show us that money is far from the answer if we are to live our lives for Christ as Christians are to do:

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

First, we’ll examine the first verse and then the second as Jesus teaches us from His Sermon on the Mount captured in Matthew’s gospel.

You cannot serve two masters. Jesus tells us this. It can’t be done. We are slaves to God and God alone. He made us and He reigns over us. We are to submit fully to Him and His will and way. Period.

And yet, we so often live our lives like we are free to do whatever we want to do to include chasing after our own desires and ignoring what God wants us to do. Our desires will be toward worldly offerings and those worldly offerings are most often centered on money which brings us possessions, the treasures of earth that Jesus talks about in this same passage. And the more we center our focus on the treasures of earth, the less we are focused on the treasures of heaven and God, the One who brings them to us, the greatest being the treasure of His Son Jesus.

Indeed, you can’t serve two masters. We have to choose money or God. If money is the answer to everything, then we choose to serve it and leave God behind. There can be no greater foolish decision one can make than that. And this leads to the second verse.

For when we serve money and make it our life’s focus, then money becomes out treasure and Jesus tells us that where our treasure is there our hearts will be also. In other words, your heart cannot be in Jesus if your treasure is money. The only way Jesus will be in your heart fully - and as a Christian there is no other proper place for Jesus – is if you make Him your treasure. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Friends, the word of the Lord is speaking loudly today and seeking to shake us at our very core, convicting us and guiding us to the most basic of Christian principles. Christians are to be like Christ and the only way we will be like Him is if we study His life and commit to live like Him as we allow His Holy Spirit to lead and guide our hearts and minds to His will and way.

As a Christian, it is never money that is the answer for everything. For that distinction belongs to Jesus and Jesus alone. He is the way and the truth and the life. He is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6).

Believe this and make Him your treasure. Serve Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Offer yourself to Him as a living sacrifice, fully giving yourself to Him just as He had fully given Himself up out of His deep love for you in order to bring you salvation.

Jesus is the answer for everything and thanks be to God for the gift that He is to us.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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