Is God Opposed to Wealth and Success?
Q: Is God opposed to people trying to get rich and be successful? I sometimes get that idea, but what's wrong with trying to make as much money as you can, as long as you aren't dishonest? That's my goal in life, frankly. - K.D.
A: No, God isn't necessarily opposed to wealth or financial success; some of the most outstanding and godly people in the Bible were also people of great wealth - men like Abraham or Job in the Old Testament.
But the Bible does warn us about the dangers of wealth, and I urge you to take those warnings seriously. What are its dangers? First, the desire for wealth can easily take the place of God in our lives. In other words, instead of loving God and putting Him first, we love money and all it stands for - and God gets crowded out of our lives. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters.... You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matthew 6:24).
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A second problem is that greed and envy easily take over our lives when we make money our goal. But when that happens, we become selfish and grasping, and we lose sight of the needs of others. Money then becomes our master instead of our servant, and we begin using people for our own selfish ends. The Bible warns, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).
Don't allow this to happen to you, but instead make Christ the center and foundation of your life. Only He gives us lasting peace, and only He gives us the security we need - both for today and for eternity. And if God gives you wealth, commit it to Him and ask Him to help you use it to bless others.
