The Problem with Money July 2, 2007
Posted by grincuddle in : Uncategorized , add a comment
Do you want to become poorer than you are now? Are you truly happy with the money you have? Or would you like more money?
Almost everyone would like to have more money. A co-worker once said that he didn’t want to be rich. I said, “No? But I bet you’d like to have more money than you have now.” He replied, “Oh, yes, a lot more!”
Why do we want more money? We expect it to enhance our lives. These expectations seem to center on four broad areas.
First, some of us expect to be able to do the things we want, to live the way we want, without being limited by the lack of money. We expect that this will make us happy, that it will give us satisfaction.
Second, some of us expect that money will give us an identity, that it will make us somebody special, that it will make us significant. We expect that people will give us acceptance and approval because we have money.
Third, some of us expect that money will protect and take care of us, that it will give us security.
Fourth, some of us expect that we will no longer have to work so hard. We expect that money will give us rest.
Now, these four things - satisfaction, identity, security, and rest - are basic human needs. There is nothing wrong with wanting them. However, in Matthew 13:22, Jesus used the phrase, “the deceitfulness of riches”. Riches deceive us into thinking that they will meet these basic needs, but they are really unable to do so.
People also try to meet these four needs via other avenues such as things, jobs, sports teams, and relationships. What we say about money will also apply in a general way to these other avenues.
