The Deceitfulness of Wealth

[JohnD]

Matthew 13:22 (NASB95)
22“And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Proverbs 28:22 (NKJV)
22A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.

Proverbs 23:4–5 (NASB95)
4Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it.
5When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

Proverbs 23:5 (NKJV)
5Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

"While a number of philosophical ideas may be logically consistent with present quantum mechanics,... materialism is not."
---Physicist Eugene Wigner

 

[JohnD]

When we stand before the Judge Jesus Christ at the Bema seat judgment... and he asks us what we did with the time he gave us...
...
...
...how much of it are we going to have to admit was spent on the pursuit of materialism?

 

[JoJoe]

Some people are so poor, all they have is money.

 

[Malachi]

While the Bible condemns the love of money, which is covetousness or greed, wealth as such is neutral. It is not money that is the root of all evil but the love of money that is the root of all evil. Indeed, in the parable of the unjust steward, the Lord commends those who can make proper use of money on earth so that they may lay up treasure in Heaven.

With sufficient funds, one can achieve a great deal for the spread of the Gospel, the distribution of Bibles, the well-being of poverty-stricken Christians, the proper operation of local churches, the support or worthy missionaries, the supply of basic necessities to the needy in all parts of the world, the provision of disaster relief wherever needed, and generally for the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. Money is a necessity for the Lord's work, whether we like it or not.

What is completely unacceptable is the manipulation of Christians by unscrupulous preachers for their self-aggrandizement or for lavish expenditures which are totally unworthy of Christians. The evil that some televangelists have perpetrated through their greed has cast an irreparable shadow over Christianity. There is no scriptural authority for radio and television ministries to constantly harp on financial contributions for their maintenance. The Lord said "Freely ye have received, freely give".

When Christians are materialistic (more and more possessions, and keeping up with the Joneses), they reveal that they do not really understand what life is all about and what Christianity and Christ are all about. They do not really understand that the treasures in Heaven are of far greater value, and that the more they have on earth, the less they will have in eternity.

Much of the misunderstanding about wealth and possessions is due to the fact that the proper biblical teaching on these important matters is generally absent in the churches, and too many preachers talk about "tithes and offerings" instead of Christian liberality which would be giving to the Lord 90-100% of one's wealth. The other side of the coin is the improper and unworthy use of the hard-earned money of ordinary Christians by those in leadership.

 

[williamt]

Much of what was shared above is covered here:

Powerful video!

God bless,
William

 

[eddif]

There are two extremes that give us problems without Holy Spirit inside.

Proverbs 30:8
Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Matthew 13:22
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

The Matthew passage is a parallel to the proverbs verse.
Cares of world / what shall we eat / poverty
Deceitfulness of riches / do I get leather upholstery in my new Mercedes

Finally after Holy Spirit comes.
Philippians 4:12
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

The poor in spirit (low ego) receives.

eddif