How Knowing Money is NOT the Root of All Evil Will Help You
“Money is the root of all evil.”
Right?
That expression has become so common you can find it in the Dictionary under Idioms.
Here’s what it says:
“Money, or, more specifically, the desire to obtain and amass it, is the ultimate reason humans do evil things to one another.”
It’s not money itself that is the source or root of evil.
That idiom leaves out one very important word from Paul’s letter to Timothy…
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
1 Timothy 6:10a
Money is neutral—neither inherently good nor evil. After all, it can do great good. It can put a roof over someone’s head, provide food and other essentials. It can be used to care for an impoverished family, provide clean water for a community, and get nutrition and medical care to those without.
However, the desire for and the accumulation of money can become an obsession.
Read what Paul wrote just before:
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.
1 Timothy 6:9
And he finishes the phrase about money with this:
Some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10b
So, what should our attitude be about money and wealth?
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.
1 Timothy 6–8
Whether we are wealthy or not . . . we can trust God to give us something to do and provide for our needs.
Money is temporary. But faith, hope, and love . . . the gifts of God that give us peace, contentment, and joy—those things last forever and ever and always.
A Prayer to Trust God and Resist the Root of Evil
Father, I thank and praise You for who You are and for all You’ve done for me. I love You and I want to honor You with my life. Please forgive me for allowing myself to be distracted by the things the world calls important. So much of our culture seems to admire those who possess more while looking down on those who don’t. We foolishly put more value on how things appear than how they really are. And we fail to remember that everything in this life is a gift from Your hand . . . the air we breathe, the food we eat, the knowledge we hold, and the jobs we do. You give us our talents, gifts, and abilities. And every day of our lives is a gift from You.
I devote myself to You. All that I am and all that I have. Please help me to use everything You have given for Your honor and glory. Please help me trust You to guide me each day. Please help me to work hard to do my best . . . to use my time, my abilities, and money remembering that they have all been entrusted to me by Your loving hand.
Please help me resist the temptation to love money. Help me realize the joy of contentment found in living rooted in Your love. Help me stand on Your promises, obey Your will, and follow where You lead. Please give me an eternal perspective that remembers this is not my home . . . I am just passing through. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Just to close today, here are a few quotes about our attitudes and money:
“Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables of Jesus deal with money. One out of ten verses in the New Testament deals with that subject. Scripture offers about five hundred verses on prayer, fewer than five hundred on faith, and over two thousand on money. The believer’s attitude toward money and possessions is determinative.” ~ John MacArthur
“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.” ~ Rev. Billy Graham
Do good with your money, or it will do you no good. There is no power in it of itself to do real good to you. It may even do you evil; but, if used for God and his cause, and the poor, it will bless yourself.” ~ Charles Spurgeon
On today’s note write:
Money may not be the root of all evil but the love of money will hurt my soul.
May God bless you today with the contentment found in the wealth of knowing and living for Him.
Click here to read the rest of 1 Timothy 6.
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Nothing wrong with money if it’s used/spent with God’s glory in mind. Great reflection, Deb!
Hi Debbie,
Your article is so inspiring and informative, and the prayer is divine❣️Thank you very much
and May God continue to bless you and your family.
Thank you so very much for your kind encouragement. God bless you!
Yes I agree. The root of all evil concerning money is how one uses it? Money itself remains neutral. It can be used to do good works and provide shelter and food, all the essentials for living in today’s world. On the other hand, having a deep love for accumulating wealth, where the desire is to store it and obsess about it, makes it the root of all evil. God says a man cannot serve two masters…….so we have to be very careful and not let our desire for wealth control us. We just need enough to get by while we pass through this life to meet our needs. Your discussion today Deb is thought provoking and reminds us that when we use money to remember it is a source provided by God to help us and to give Him all the glory for His provision. God bless you Deb and thank you for your insights.
So much of life is about our attitudes. What a blessing to know that God wants to give us a new attitude based on His love and His truth. Have a great day, Angela! Blessings!