A Powerful Drug

1 Timothy 6:9-10 “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 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.”

The apostle Paul uses strong, descriptive words in these verses – trap, foolish, harmful, plunge, ruin, destruction, evil, pierced, griefs – to underscore that attraction to money is a powerful drug. Chasing money must never be the goal of a Christian. Wealth may or may not be a byproduct of doing excellent work that glorifies God, but craving wealth for its own sake is a path to spiritual and relational ruin. And the warning is not only for those who have attained riches and are seeking greater riches. These verses apply just as much to people who have very little, but who yearn for and fantasize about wealth.

Father, you are my provider. Everything I have comes from you. I recognize that I am a steward of these things and that you can take them away if fail in my responsibilities. While you enable me to enjoy the fruits of many years of work, may I love people by using these blessings for your honor and glory and the furtherance of your kingdom.

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