Money Isn’t Evil, Loving it Is

 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:10 NIV

Today’s verse is a powerful reminder that loving money will lead us to “many griefs” at minimum, and wandering from the faith at worst.

Paul was writing to Timothy about people who thought that godliness was a means of financial gain. The kind of people who take advantage of their influence in people’s lives to make money.

So, one of the warning signs for us is when we value money more than people. When it becomes okay for us to use them for our own gain. Or when we see them as wallets before souls.

This is true and many of us have heard this teaching before. (Which is fine, because we can never be reminded of it too much!)

However, it’s also important that we note Paul says it’s the “love of money” that’s the root of all evil, not money itself.

So, I think this is a helpful way to summarize Paul’s points to us:

If your only goal is income, you are its slave and will find “many griefs.” If you live to accomplish God’s purpose, income becomes your servant. It becomes a vehicle to your destination, rather than the destination itself.

Let’s keep money in its place by keeping God’s mission our priority today.

Today’s devotion is by Jordan Loftis, the author of The Men With Bare Feet.