Our Current Financial Crisis Proves The Folly Of Trusting In Our Money
Trusting in our money will fail us. That statement might have sounded a bit trite previously, but now, probably not so much. We are facing so many different battles because of what has gone on in our world. Coronavirus slam dunked the stock market, businesses, and our personal income in a matter of weeks.
It has truly turned our world upside down. One of the ways that we have seen its damaging effects is on our finances. This effect on finances is broad and wide spread. The vast majority of people and businesses in our nation and across the world have felt the tremor of financial instability.
I want us to talk about the financial crisis and what the Bible says about trusting in our money as believers in Christ. What do we do? How do we respond to the financial crisis that seems eminent or possibly has already hit each of us to varying degrees?
My primary answer to this question is with wisdom, trust, and truth. The only place I believe we can get wisdom, trust, and truth regarding the financial crisis in our world is from Scripture. As believers the truth of God’s Word is our safest place to turn for our best understanding and decisions in our life.
Wisdom
The book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom. It teaches us wisdom and teaches us to seek wisdom.
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” We definitely don’t want to be fools in this day and age. As believers in Christ, we probably already have that beginning of knowledge of fear and reverence for the Lord.
Proverbs 3:13 says, “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.” Blessed in the original Hebrew language speaks of a person’s state of bliss and it is usually used as an interjection. So understanding this, we might translate it as, “Blessed!” or “Blissful!”
Now in times like these, you are probably saying, I’m just trying to figure out how to manage my life, I can’t even think about being blissful at a time like this. Blissful is just too far out of reach. Ok I understand, but what if you knew you had protection in these unstable times?
Proverbs 4:6 says, “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.” Surely, if we believe these words of wisdom, we can see the advantage to seeking after wisdom. Wisdom protects us and watches over us.
Now Let’s Talk About Trust & Trusting In Our Money
Trust means a firm belief in the reliability of something or someone. Reliability means the quality of being trustworthy or performing consistently well. So, when we trust, we firmly believe in something or someone being trustworthy or performing consistently well.
In relation to our topic of the financial crisis in our world, we are personally interested in how this crisis affects our money. Let’s contrast what the Bible teaches us about trusting in our money versus trusting in God.
Proverbs wisdom teaches us that, He who trust in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28) Psalm 49:5-6 calls those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches, wicked deceivers. Psalm 52:7 says, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and was strong in his evil desire.”
New Testament Teaching About Trusting In Our Money.
1 Timothy is a letter written by Paul to his protégé’, Timothy who is the pastor of the church at Ephesus. Paul writes to guide and instruct Timothy in how to guide and instruct the believers he was charged to lead. Paul’s discourse regarding money with a call to contentment is found in 1 Timothy 6:6-19. In 1 Timothy 6:10 Paul says, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Love of money in the original Greek language is one word, philarguria. This term points to the sin of covetousness. Recognize that Scripture doesn’t say, Money is a root of all kinds of evil, but the love of moneyis a root of all kinds of evil. Money is a necessary tool of existence in our world. However, when we tilt the scales from tool to desire, we have made a dangerous shift.
In 1 Timothy 6:17 Paul tells Timothy to,
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope (also translated as trust)
in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope (i.e. trust) in God,
who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17
Paul’s reason for warning believers about trusting in our money was based on the fact that money is so uncertain. There is no reliability or stability in money, but our God is The Rock!
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice,
a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.
Deuteronomy 32:4
The Bible repeatedly tells us that God is a rock, our rock, the Rock referring to the unwavering stability and reliability of our God.
As we can see from all that has happened in our world recently, our booming economy was only booming until the first calamity hit our nation. While calamity doesn’t hit every day, it hits and immediately destabilizes our financial status, both personally and nationally.
So let’s finish out with 1 Timothy 6:18-19 which says,
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing
to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation
for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:18-19
Click here to get 12 Bible Verses That Assure Us Of God’s Provision. When you feel fear or anxiety rising up because of your financial situation, I want to encourage you to read, meditate, and pray these verses. I believe doing so will give you peace and build your faith to trust God for all that you need whether large or small.
Before I leave, if you are in a personal financial crisis that has you feeling hopeless, let me encourage you a little further through my past blog post, What Hopeless Situation Are You Facing Today.
