The love of money is idol worshipping in its most relevant and practical form. Money can replace God. Money can mimic God and give us (false) illusions of security, safety, love and happiness. We can begin to trust in money to the point of confusing it with God and loving it more than God.
This commandment is telling us not to make money, our God. This is idol worshipping.
The Love Of Money Replaces God
We make money into our God when we follow worldly principles and philosophies instead of biblical ones. Principles from the bible would actually cause us to give our money away and not to amass it.
We make money into our God when we seek after it instead of God. We spend our time and energy seeking this money because we lack faith that God will provide for us. We diligently look to money for security and not to God.
The Love Of Money Hijacks Our Faith In God
Matthew 6 continued….25 “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?
In this verse, Jesus is explaining that life is about more than physical food and clothing. Our focus should be feeding on the word of God and clothing our spiritual body with righteousness (which is the words and teachings of Jesus). We should be caring about our spiritual life.
Our concern should not be on our physical lives here in the world which is short and will pass away. Why are we investing in something so temporary? If we put seeking and keeping the Holy Spirit in our lives our first and only priority, God will add all the things we need to us. He will provide for us as He promised.
God will not see us starve or beg for bread.
Psalm 37:25-29 – I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. 27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
Psalm 9:10 – And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 94:14 – For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage.
God will not see us die destitute physically, if we focus on the spiritual side. Spiritually speaking, if we do not take an active role, we will starve and die; naked and destitute (spiritually).
Forsaking The Love Of Money Through Faith In God
Revelations 3:16-18 – So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
God is telling us to ask Him for help with our unbelief. We need to ask God to help us with our lack of faith and to help us believe that He will provide for us. Then we will be able to give up our physical possessions and exchange them for eternal spiritual riches. We will be rich in faith instead of being spiritually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Matthew 6 continued…26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Jesus is explaining how the birds do not work, save or amass wealth, yet God provides for their needs. How much more will He provide for us, since He cares more for us than birds!
Matthew 6: 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Likewise with flowers. God adorns them splendidly, even though they don’t work (spin, toil/labor). By work, I mean physical work. Our priority should be spiritual work.
The work that God calls us to do is to keep his commandments. In other words, to fulfill his commandments in our lives. This can only be done through the teachings of Jesus. If we do this diligently, God will add to us (or give to us) all that we need both physically and spiritually.
This is faith! God does not recognize another definition of faith. A compromised, redefined faith or ‘faith without works’, is not recognized by God.
Replacing The Love Of Money With God’s Provision
Matthew 6:31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
If we focus on our spiritual clothing and food, God will provide the physical things we need. God is not ignorant to the fact that we do need these things to live. He will meet our needs! God will by no means make us rich, but we will not go without. Such as God’s provision for Elijah:
1 Kings 17:2-6 – Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
God’s provision for Jesus and Peter was the same:
Matthew 17:27 – “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
We are brainwashed by the world’s patterns and ways of thinking. The world says to invest our time in education and hard work so that we can be financially secure. But as a child of God, we should be looking to the living God, who is more than able to supply our needs!
Take children for example; they love and trust that their parents will provide for them. They do not have to do any work in order for us to provide for them. So it is the same with God. As long as we love and trust in Him (through adhering to the teachings of Jesus), He will provide all our needs.
God’s Promise Of Provision For His Children
If God can look after all of the animals and birds – who do not work, toil, scheme, plan and are not educated; how much more will he provide for us, his children?
Luke 12:22-34 “And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!
Job 35:11 “who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?”
Psalm 50:11 “I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.”
Psalm 104:27 “All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.”
Psalm 147:9 “He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.”
Matthew 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.”
Luke 12:6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two [a]cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.”
Luke 12:25 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? 26 If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!
29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
If God provides for the little birds, how much more will he provide for us? God can provide for all the animals and birds. He provided for all the children of Israel in the wilderness during the time of Moses. God also provided for Jesus, his disciples (12 grown men) and all the people following along. So then, we can be confident that He can provide for us and our families too!
The Cost Of Being A Disciple Is Everything
Luke 12:33 “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus gets right down to the point. He says we should give away our possessions and money to help the poor and to have faith that God will provide for us. Jesus is asking us to ‘put our money where our mouth is’. To stop giving ‘lip service’ about our faith and instead to live it and do it.
Have faith that God will provide for you if you make your first and only concern about seeking the Holy Spirit in your life.
James 2:14-26 – What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Some people claim “everything I have is God’s’. But they have not actually given up anything for God. This is lip service, or as James puts it, ‘faith without works’ which in the eyes of God, is considered dead and useless. It is a faith that God does not recognize.
Luke 16:13 – 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.
Exodus 20:23 – Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
Have Faith – God Will Provide!
Like Jesus, we must have faith that God will provide and look after us if we give up all our possessions for Him. This is the only kind of faith God recognizes. We must have faith that God will provide.
Proverbs 10:3 “The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.”
Matthew 6:8 “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Phillipians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 111:5 “He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.”
Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
We must have faith that God will never leave us and forget about us, that He will always protect us and provide for us. This is the promise and it is impossible for God to lie.
Hebrews 6:18 – so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 4:31 – For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8 – Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 8The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Joshua 1:5 – No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
1 Kings 8:57 – May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us.
1 Kings 6:13 – And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”
1 Chronicles 28:20 – David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.”
The Love Of Money Is Idolatry
We have to understand that in the eyes of God, greed is idolatry meaning making a God out of gold or money. God’s definition of greed is anyone who will not give up all of his own possessions for Him.
Colossians 3:5 NKJV – Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Other Translations:
Colossians 3:5 NLT – So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Colossians 3:5 CEV – Don’t be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don’t be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don’t be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols.
Ephesians 5:5 – For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
In other words, anyone who will not do as Jesus did and preach the Gospel, relying on God for provision, still has a love for money. Jesus was not rich.
Luke 9:58 – Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Matthew 8:20 – Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
All Followers Of Christ Must Give Up Their Love Of Money
Likewise with the disciples. They gave up everything; all of their possessions to follow Jesus.
Matthew 19:27 – Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Mark 10:28 – Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
Matthew 4:20 – Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Mark 1:16-18 – As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 9:9 – As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
In order to be worthy of being called a disciple of Christ, we must also give up all and follow Jesus.
Luke 14:33 – In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
If we cannot do this, then we still have the love of money and are guilty of idolatry.
1 Corinthians 6:9 – Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality
Ephesians 5:3 – but sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
Other translations:
Ephesians 5:3 (NIV) – But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
Ephesians 5:3 (NLT) – Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
Ephesians 5:3 (CSB) – But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of[a] among you, as is proper for saints.
Ephesians 5:3 (GW) – Don’t let sexual sin, perversion of any kind, or greed even be mentioned among you. This is not appropriate behavior for God’s holy people.
1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Hebrews 13:5 ESV – Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
1 Timothy 3:3 – not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
Psalm 10:3 – For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
Psalm 49:6 – They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches. No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.
How do we know we have the love of money? When we refuse to give up our money which is a commandment of God that has been clarified, preached and lived by Jesus. In the eyes of God, we are idol worshippers.
Exodus 20:23 – Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
Luke 14:33 – So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
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