The wealth trap

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.  Luke 16:14

Jesus warned against the control that money and possessions can have over the heart. This is true for wealthy people consumed with having more and more. It is also true of poor people indebted to paying off what they were told they had to have or thought they really needed. The love of money cuts both ways and is a soul trap. Here is a short scriptural excursion through warnings about the ensnaring capability of the wealth of this world:

Proverbs 23:4-5 — Don’t waste all your strength chasing riches. Wealth can evaporate.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 — The one who loves money is never satisfied with it.

Matthew 6:19-24 — Loving money reveals a false treasure. Believers store up heavenly wealth. You cannot simultaneously serve both God and money.

Luke 12:15-21 — Guard against covetousness, the sinful root of avarice for money. Your life is bigger than your stuff.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 — The desire to be rich leads to temptation. Money love is the root of many other evils.

Hebrews 13:5 — Contentment with what you have helps free you from the snare of money love.

James 5:1-5 — Money love hurts others. Don’t hoard, withhold assistance, or live in other self-driven ways.

In a culture obsessed with the massing of material things, Christians are called to steward worldly possessions for eternal dividends. Loving what we have will short-circuit loving the God Who gives us what we have.