Loss That Comes From Money

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” 1 Timothy 6:10

Allow me to share a quick story about a member of a church I once pastored in Florida.

God had been working in the life of a man in our church and he had been increasingly more involved in what God was doing through our church’s ministries. He came to see me one afternoon to let me know that he had just won the Florida lottery, so he sought my advice on what to do with the money.

I suggested that he could redeem the situation by practicing the biblical principle of tithing and give at least 10% of his earnings to the Lord. This man struggled with the idea but eventually, he did write our church a check for $10,000, which was far short of a tithe on a million dollars. Several months later, though, he stopped attending our church altogether and within a year he had squandered all the money he had.

I always think of this story when I read this passage from Paul, because it’s a great example of the dangers of falling in love with money.

Loving money can lure you away from your faith, which is exactly why it’s such a powerful tool for the devil to use against you. Misunderstanding or mismanaging money can result in significant losses. Of course, there’s the financial loss. But as was the case with this man, it can lead to spiritual and relational loss, too.

Money is an excellent tool at your disposal to advance God’s kingdom, but it is an awfully harsh taskmaster.