We all need money because life on this earth requires that we have money. Money is not evil as some people misquote it; it is rather the love of money that is evil. What differentiates the one who loves money from the one who does not is that the one who loves money is willing to do anything to make money without considering the morality of it. The love of money is very evil and the end thereof is very disastrous to the life of man. History has lots of stories to tell about how some people ruined their lives and their relationship with God on account of the love of money. One would ask that, with regard to the negative consequences of loving money, why do people still love money? These are some of the reasons why some people, both Christians and unbelievers, love money:
People who love money have the goal of becoming very rich in the end; and it appears to them that they are fighting a good course because the world, as it stands, gives much credit to the rich. In fact, everybody knows very well that there is much to gain in this world if you are a rich man. The rich man, inevitably, becomes famous, makes a lot of friends, get away with certain offenses committed, and he is well praised and his faults are overlooked. The poor do not come any close to enjoying these privileges. That is why some people have given themselves to the love of money, hoping to become rich.
The body needs good food, warm shelter, cloths, comfort, good health service, etc.; all these aforementioned things are necessities you need to survive. The amount of money you have to your name would decide the quality and the quantity of these necessities you would have access to. A good example is that though both the wealthy and the poor eat daily, the quality and quantity of their food differ. Some people, both Christians and unbelievers, love money and do anything to have more of it because money promises a good standard of living, for you get to enjoy good food, decent shelter, quality health service, etc. if you have a lot of money.
Responsibilities – life comes with responsibilities for all, both young and adult. But for us adults, we have financial responsibilities as part of our responsibilities. We need to pay the bills and fees and cater for our families. Sometimes, we have our aging parents on our hands to cater for. And in most parts of the developing world, a person might be the breadwinner of an entire extended family. Hence most adults are under pressure to bring money home due to the heavy financial burden they bear. Failure to fulfill these financial responsibilities comes with a train of many other problems. In a bid to meet financial responsibilities, many resort to the love of money; that is to say, they are willing and ready to use any shady means to make money, without considering the morality of it or the consequences thereof.
The Bible says we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses (Hebrew 12:1) – this means people are watching our going in and coming out. People are watching the poor man’s life of pain and the rich man’s life of extravagance. The poor man’s life is far from attractive, whereas the rich man’s life commands admiration and attention. Life appears beautiful for the rich man and his family. They are able to fulfill their financial responsibilities and even go a step further to spoil themselves with luxuries; they live in excess, go on expensive vacations, buy on the whim, etc. This whets the appetite of onlookers for prosperity. In short, the extravagance of the rich becomes a temptation that makes others stumble and fall into the love of money. For many are willing to taint their hands with sins to have a grip on this happy life that money can buy.
Fear for poverty: Poverty is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs. There is much to suffer in this world for being poor. In fact, life is bitter for the poor for they face the extremes of life’s hardship, for they struggle to pay bills, struggle to lay hold on necessities, struggle to cater for their families, lose social status, etc. Many poor folks are willing to do anything so far as it would result in prosperity so that they can escape the shackles of poverty. And many rich people are willing to do anything without questioning the morality of it so long as it is financially profitable and will enable them to maintain their standard of living. Fear for poverty and the bid to avoid it make both the poor and the rich love money.
Life is not supposed to be a race at all. However, some people have made a race of it. Whiles some people are struggling to make ends meet, others have more than they could wish for and have deliberately entered into the race of becoming the richest man or the richest woman or the richest pastor or the richest president in the world, in the country, in the community, or in the church. For such reasons, they accumulate so much money for themselves, oftentimes, through corruption, embezzlement, etc. Also, in the community or in the church, some people are in a race to prove that they are more successful than others. All such people, often than not, resort to the love of money, for they are willing to do anything to gain more money to beat their opponents.
There is a general perception that possessing more money is a requisite of a happy life. A happy life is very sought after by both the good and the bad, the Christian and the unbeliever. Since many cannot think of happiness without money, prosperity is very linked to happiness. For this reason, people love money and would do anything possible to possess more money so as to enjoy a happy life.
Where are you placed when we are talking about the most successful people in this world? Probably, you do not count when the world lists the most successful people. However, if you were to have $ 1000,000,000,000 right now, you would be crowned the most successful person on earth. The world measures success based on what you have – your riches and wealth; and not based on what you have done to better the lives of people. Thus only the rich are regarded as successful and are well-praised and regarded as role models. Since riches and wealth are the tokens of success, people who are not rich are viewed as unsuccessful; worse yet the poor are viewed as failures. And it hurts a lot when your family, friends, and community see you as a failure because you are not well to do. To make it look like they are successful in life, people resort to the love of money and do anything, no matter how bad it is, in order to make more money to become rich.
Hardship: Inheritance, donations or gifts, and work are some of the ways to make decent money. But sometime, people are unemployed and broke; sometimes, some who are employed lose their jobs; sometimes, those who are employed are poorly paid; and sometimes, though working and earning money, the money earned is neutralized by heavy indebtedness. Unemployment, low remuneration, indebtedness, etc. are some of the hardships people encounter in their lives that makes them dissatisfied and obsessed with getting more money. And such problems are more than able to drag people, Christians and unbelievers alike, into the love of money, for they resort to corruption, drug trafficking, prostitution, gambling, and other shady means to make money.
Self-indulgence: Aside from having the necessities of life, some people want huge sums of money to blow on things their carnal nature craves for or to buy and enjoy something in excess – indulgences. These cravings which are less important than the necessities of life are rather more expensive. And to have them in any amount, big or small, you need to have a lot of money. The common indulgences of people are luxury cars, jewelry, luxurious mansions, prostitutes, clubbing, partying, latest fashion, narcotic drugs, alcohol, etc. To have ample amount of money to indulge themselves, people resort to the love of money; that is to say, they engage in drug trafficking, corruption, robbery, embezzlement, killing, pimping, prostitution, human trafficking, etc. to earn money huge enough to buy their indulgences.
Conclusion
Like unbelievers, Christians also fall prey to the love of money. We should not succumb to the pressure and the enticement of this world to fall into the love of money. The Bible specifically reveals to Christians to know the catastrophic end of the love of money, saying that those who were into the love of money erred from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. (1Timothy 6:10)
Food for thought
- As a Christian, have you ever lived in the sin of the love of money before?
- What were your reasons for loving money?
- How do Christians who love money demonstrate their love for money?
- What consequences does the love of money have on a Christian’s relationship with God?