Wealth is not evil. The attitudes of men are evil.
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life”.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
“You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day”.
Deuteronomy 8:18
There is nothing at all wrong with having wealth. Job was wealthy (Job 1 – Job’s character and wealth). So was Abraham (Gen 13:2). Highly righteous men in the Bible had great wealth. The difference between them and the rest of the world is that the righteous did not and do not place their wealth above God.
Weak men in the Church demonize wealth. They conflate wealth and worldliness. They also conflate poverty with virtue. You cannot correlate these things.
There are plenty of evil, greedy poor people.
Also, there are plenty of righteous generous wealthy people.
There is nothing wrong with accumulating wealth. Wealth in the hands of the righteous is better than wealth in the hands of the wicked.
Some weak men in the Church will conflate wealth and evil in an effort to justify their lack of work ethic. This is a great evil. Men of God should have an unparalleled work ethic in all things, as they should be doing their work “as to the Lord, rather than to man”(Colossians 3:23/Ephesians 6:7). This does not guarantee wealth, but it does ensure that you will be satisfied with your work day. Extreme wealth is not necessary in life, though it is not wrong if you achieve it.
Not having wealth in life does not magically make you righteous.
I have heard such statements from the pulpit many times, “I’m not focused on the things of this world”. “I’m not materialistic, so I’m not wealthy”. The problem with these statements, again, is that they assume that not having wealth means that one is righteous. This is not the case. The same people in the Church might also make the absurd statement: I would rather have virtue/righteousness/holiness than wealth”. Not only are those people lying in an effort to look good, but they just so happen to not be righteous either.
The people who say “I would rather have righteousness than wealth” are the same ones who say “I would rather have brains than brawn”. The only people saying they would rather have brains than brawn are fat people with neither brains nor brawn. Every time you hear that statement it is made by some obese diabetic who is trying to devalue the physical success of a fit man.
In an attempt to make themselves feel better, unfit people demonize the fitness of others.
In an attempt to make themselves feel better and more righteous, poor people demonize the wealth of the successful.
This is extremely inappropriate and intellectually dishonest.
This statement is my speculation, so take it with a grain of salt: God would not assign wealth to those who could not handle it well. If God knew that you were the type of individual to be corrupted by wealth, or to assume that you earned everything yourself with no help from God (Daniel 4:30), then it would be in His best interest to not give you great wealth simply out of love for you (remembering that love is an action, not an emotion).
So perhaps you are not wealthy not because you don’t work hard, but because you do not have the temperament to handle wealth righteously. It could be that if you were given wealth, you would place it above God and fall from grace.
Mantra
Wealth is not evil.
Application
First: The key to managing wealth is to build the character today that can handle the pressure of wealth later.
Start viewing yourself as the overseer of your possessions, rather than the owner. This isn’t just some pseudo-spiritual nonsense that people in the church who have no money try to make you believe. If you take a managerial view of your finances, that level of emotional and mental detachment allows clarity of the mind that leads to better business decisions.
Think of the general who elevates his perspective high above the battlefield. This general is not influenced by his emotions in the same way as a man on the front line of the battle. You must have this same level of emotional detachment when it comes to wealth.
When we aren’t emotionally attached to our possessions, we do better when managing them.
Second: work as if you were trying to build a fortune, but don’t be disappointed if you don’t.
Make as much money as you can, but be wise in what you do with it. Invest in things that better you or that better others, instead of cheap pleasures. When you invest in people or your own character, the return on that investment is greater satisfaction than anything you would buy for enjoyment. That’s not to say don’t enjoy things, you need to enjoy things (Ecclesiastes 2:24). Invest in books that will cause you to improve yourself, in workshops or seminars, hobbies and skills and in family. Spend time and money on things that are positive for the mind.
Do not invest in cheap toys or prostitutes. Do not buy things to keep up with your neighbors. Trying to “out-lifestyle” others is a surefire way to financial failure in 95% of cases.
Weak men in the Church are in the habit of glorifying a boring and sorrowful life. Enjoy your life, but be wise. Be a man.
Conduct Yourselves like Men.