THE LOVE OF MONEY

Achan’s Sin: Joshua 7

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In today's lesson, The Bible tells us that the 'love' of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10). Do not confuse the object of money as Solomon reports in Ecclesiastes 10:19 - "A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things."  The question is what will you 'do' to obtain money.  Satan is pure evil. His goal is to use every tactic to bring you to despair and forget God. Since the time the devil was cast out of heaven, he has sought constantly to deceive all men and women and leads them away from the work of God in order to make all mankind as miserable as he is (Rev. 12:9

• Jesus rebuked the devil, Matt. 17:18.

• Everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels, Matt. 25:41.

• Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, James 4:7.

 

In a capitalist society, money is the catalyst that drives men to rags or riches. What a valuable tool for the devil to have at his disposal.    thankfully, God has prepared a way for us to avoid the snares of the love of money.

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WORKING

 

2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.

1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

 

BUDGETING

Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.

Proverbs 21:5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent one foresees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.

 

GET RICH QUICK

Exodus 23:12 Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.

Proverbs 19:2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge and he who hurries his footsteps errs.

Proverbs 28:19-20 He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty. A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

 

GIVING

Proverbs 28:27 Gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

Malachi 3:10  “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

Matthew 6:3-4  When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

 

INVESTING

Proverbs 13:11 Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it.

Proverbs 15:22 Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors, they succeed.

Proverbs 19:2 It is not good for a person to be without knowledge and he who hurries his footsteps errs.

Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your work outside and make it ready for yourself in the field; afterward, then, build your house.

Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.  

 

 

 

LENDING

Deuteronomy 23:19-20 You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen, you shall not charge interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess.  Deuteronomy 24:10 When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge.

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Proverbs 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you.

Psalm 15:5 He does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

Psalm 37:26 All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing.

Psalm 112:5 It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; he will maintain his cause in judgment.

Proverbs 28:8 He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

 

PROVISION

Psalm 37:25 I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.

Matthew 6:31-32 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

 

PROSPERING

Jeremiah 17:8 For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.

Psalm 1: 1-3 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prosper. Psalm 35:27 Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; and let them say continually, “The Lord be magnified, who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”

Malachi 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

 

WORRY

Matthew 6:31-33 Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?”‘ or “What will we wear for clothing?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 

Luke 12:22-29 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason, I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.

 

GAMBLING

Although the words "gambling" and "gamble" do not appear in the Bible, we cannot assume that an activity is not a sin simply because it is not mentioned. Looking at pornography on the Internet and using illegal drugs are not mentioned either, but both violate God's laws.

While casinos and lotteries promise thrills and excitement, obviously people gamble to try to win money. Scripture gives very specific instructions about what our attitude should be toward money:

 

Ecclesiastes 5:10 “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.” 

Luke 16:13 “And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them, he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.”

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”  Gambling is a way to bypass work, but the Bible counsels us to persevere and work hard:

Proverbs 10:4 “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.”

 

CASTING LOTS

The Bible does mention "Casting Lots" but I wouldn't define this as gambling.

Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.” Also, in Acts, the disciples prayed and then cast lots: 

Acts 1:24-26 “And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, 25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. 26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”

 

 

SUICIDE AND THE RICH

Matthew 19:24 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God”

 

 

The German industrialist Adolf Merckle was the 94th richest person in the world in 2008, with a net worth of about $9.2 billion. But his poor investment decisions concerning Volkswagen shares pushed his business empire to the brink of disaster, and on Monday he took his own life at age 74. Mr. Merckle’s body was found by railroad tracks near his home in Southern Germany and his family confirmed the suicide. With the economic crisis raging worldwide, from mortgage foreclosures to international bank collapses, the wealthy have not been immune to loss and instability.

 

In September, a wealthy London financier, Kirk Stephenson, the 47-year-old chief operating officer of Olivant Ltd. committed suicide by jumping in front of a train.

 

Last month in New York, the French businessman Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, 65, who had lost more than $1.4 billion investing with Bernard L. Madoff — who has admitted losing $50 billion while running an enormous Ponzi scheme — killed himself in his New York office.

And in suburban Chicago on Monday, the police said that a commercial real estate broker, Steven L. Good, 52, took his life in a wildlife preserve.

“The economy is going to impact everyone, but even billionaires suffer through bad financial times and stay alive,” he said. “There’s always more to the story for an individual and what made them more vulnerable.”

The American Association of Suicidology did release a statement on its Web site acknowledging the “clear and direct relationship between rates of unemployment and suicide.”

 

Loss of wealth or housing can increase feelings of shame and humiliation, as well as feelings of isolation, all factors that increase risk of suicides. But Mr. Draper and Mr. Berman agree that calls to suicide hotlines may not necessarily be a negative indicator.

”There is no class so pitiably wretched as that which possesses money and nothing else.”

Andrew Carnegie (Worth $309 Billion).

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Article: The High Cost of Losing Money

By Liz Robbins         

 

 JANUARY 6, 2009 5:24 PM January 6, 2009 5:24 pm