What your attitude toward wealth says about your faith in God

I have been praying about responding to an opportunity to go to India for several weeks (closer to a month) and as I was asking God for clarity it became obvious to me through Bible study (what James said about his identity as a servant - doulos) and circumstances that I was supposed to say yes to the opportunity. Part of what convinced me was the lyrics to a song called, "I Shall not Want" by Audrey Assad.  It was in a Spotify playlist and it really spoke to what was happening in my heart. It says: "From the love of my own comfort/From the fear of having nothing/From a life of worldly passions/Deliver me O God./From the fear of serving others/From the fear of death or trial/From the fear of humility/Deliver me O God." That is a great prayer! I find that fear is such a powerful impediment to obedience. All the "what if" questions crowd out the greater reality that God is the Lord and if I obey Him He will make sure that "I shall not want." 

James 1:9-11 looks at the use of wealth from the perspective of God and eternity and issues a sobering warning to us. It shows the consequences of depending on material wealth to give us happiness.

1. When we Depend on Temporary Riches we can Count on Being Let Down. In 2008 the average American household lost 1/3 of its income during the so-called housing bubble. Things that we didn't even have a direct investment in tanked our savings and affected our lives nonetheless (Smithsonian Mag). That's why the Bible refers to them as "uncertain riches": "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17). Depending on wealth is at the very least to forget that God is the source of everything.

2. When we Depend on Temporary Riches God will Count us Fools. Remember the story of the Foolish Rich man in Luke 12:13-21? Someone asked Jesus to help with the execution of their family estate, but he replied "Who made me an arbiter between you? Beware! Guard your hearts from covetousness, for your life does nor consist in the abundance of things you possess." Then he shares a terrifying parable that concludes with God calling a man a fool because of his presumptuous priorities. "This is how it will be for whoever stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

3. When we Depend on Temporary Riches we have missed the true Purpose of Wealth. Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." My former pastor (Ron Hasty) used to say that we are supposed to love people and use things, but we love things and use people. When we love money and depend on it instead of trusting God our values are skewed. We put our focus on stuff that has limited value and forget about people who have infinite value. The Kingdom of God is about God blessing people through Christ.

4. When we Depend on Temporary Riches we will Hoard what God Wants us to Share. When Solomon reflected on this he said that it was vanity to store up wealth to leave to your children not knowing whether they will be wise or fools (Ecclesiastes 2:19). Have you seen those hoarder shows? People accumulate possessions until they can barely move around. They have things stacked up, inaccessible, worthless, but when the pickers try to show up and move these items to usefulness and circulation, the hoarder often resists. They clutch them tightly. The Bible makes it plain that God is the owner and we are managers of His gifts (Psalm 24:1). We are to be conduits, not reservoirs.

5. When we Depend on Temporary Riches it all gets Exposed to Total Loss. Jesus plainly said, "Don't lay up treasure for yourselves where moths can eat, rust corrode and thieves break in and steal, but lay up treasure in heaven." Like someone said, "You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead." God told the rich fool, "Tonight your soul will be demanded from you, then whose will these things be?" Implication: not yours!

6. When we Depend on Temporary Riches our Priorities will Always be Wrong. Again, Matthew 6:33 says "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." If our priority is God we will be free from the love of money. We think, well, I'm not wealthy. Compared to the rest of the world you are! Over 3 billion people in the world live in absolute poverty, but this misses the point anyway. God's standard for us is generosity and faithful obedience whatever we earn. The story of the widows mite illustrates God's pattern: be generous and trust God (Luke 21:1-4).

7. When we Depend on Temporary Riches our Faith in God is Compromised. The fundamental issue is whether or not we trust God. There is only one place in the Bible where God says, "Put me to the test," and it is in the disposition of the wealth He entrusts to us (Malachi 3:10).

Conclusion - Are money and possessions bad, evil or negative in and of themselves? Of course not, but the Bible does say, "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some people have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (1 Timothy 6:10). Money and wealth are legitimate necessities in life, but they are not what is ultimate in life. If we give that kind of priority to it God will ultimately become an afterthought in our lives. The Bible says, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" (Matthew 6:24). The Bible is very clear: if we do not keep our understanding about what wealth is for in the appropriate perspective our faith WILL BE undermined. It ultimately becomes an issue of fear and obedience. Do I really trust that if I obey God faithfully in the managing of the resources He commits to my trust He will take care of me? Am I trusting in things to sustain me or am I trusting in God to sustain me? When we are clear and convicted about this obeying God becomes a lot simpler.