Money

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:21, 24

 

There are over 2000 verses in the Bible that cover the subject of money, including saving, debt, hard work, honesty, planning, stewardship, worry, warnings of greed and where we can find true wealth. I believe God has much to say about money because He understands how it can consume us, become an idol and replace our dependence on Him.

God will provide

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25, 33).

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness” (Proverbs 23:4).

“For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you” (Deuteronomy 15:6).

True Riches

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it” (Proverbs 10:22).

“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” (Proverbs 16:16).

“Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (Proverbs 30:8).

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1).

“Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:12).

Tithing

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 3:10-12).

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9).

Giving

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14).

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously” (Psalm 37:21). also Debt

Investing and Planning

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:21).

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” (Luke 14:28).

Debt and Taxes

“Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:7).

“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing” (Romans 13:6).

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).

Greed and Other Warnings

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? (Mark 8:36 NLT).

“Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live” (Proverbs 15:27 NLT).

“Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life” (Proverbs 1:19 NLT).

“For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-such a man is an idolater-has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5).

“The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives” (Psalm 37:21).

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:6-12 NLT).

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.” (1 Timothy 6:17 NLT).

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:23-24).

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow” (Proverbs 13:11).

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

“Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil” (Proverbs 15:16).

“What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar” (Proverbs 19:22).

“Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 10:2).

“Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” (Proverbs 23:5).

“Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous” (Psalm 37:16-17).

“The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale” (Proverbs 18:11).

“Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 11:4).

MANAGER OF GOD'S GREAT GIFTS

Every good and perfect gift is from above. Let’s give all the glory to Him and invest our efforts in the eternal treasure that never rusts, fades or disappears.

all Scripture is taken from NIV unless otherwise noted.