"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains."
(1 Timothy 6:10)
"Money makes the world go round," so the saying goes. In some ways, that's true. Without enough financial resources, life can be very hard. And yet, we here in the West probably have an inflated definition of what "enough" is.
This passage from 1 Timothy 6 is often misquoted as "money is the root of all evil." Paul didn't say that. Paul said THE LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all kinds of evil. Here's where so many of us get in trouble. Whether it's working ourselves to the extreme in order to gain as much money as possible (or working simply to get a higher-paying job)... or hoarding as much money as we can (with the idea that we can never have "too much"!)... we often have an unhealthy relationship with money.
How can we avoid the "love of money"? Give it all away. Maybe. Then again, it might just mean we're called to love something (or someONE) more! When God becomes our "all consuming passion" (not money), then we're freed up to use our money in whatever ways God directs. Helping a friend in need... sponsoring a poor child through Compassion International... giving to a local charity that works to alleviate poverty... supporting a missionary, etc. I dare say there's eternal value in that!
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