Money is an essential part of our lives, we use it for necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, education and even to safeguard unexpected expenses in the future. The Lord Jesus Himself commanded his disciples to bring money from the fish’s mouth when it came to the time to pay His taxes.

Indeed money is necessary for daily living, but it cannot bring us happiness (or true joy), and neither should its absence make us sad or joyless. In other words, more money does not equal happiness and less money does not equal sadness. The Bible strictly warns against the extreme love of money in 1 Tim 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

The Bible is not saying that money itself is bad as some people erroneously believe, but rather warns us to abstain from all illegal means of making money, such as get-rich quick schemes, money laundering, and shady business deals. The Bible also warns against allowing the love of money to take our commitment away from God, but rather to “seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness” and whatever else we need in this life will be given to us.

We are therefore encouraged to use money freely, including giving to others and in support of kingdom purposes, because it allows God’ to bless us in His own sovereign way – sometimes through financial increase and sometimes in other areas of our lives that need divine intervention.  We don’t give to “get” but we give in obedience to God, and that’s what brings true joy and happiness. The Lord Jesus gave us a perfect example by giving us His most valuable substance, His life. He freely gave of Himself for our benefit and we are to do the same for the benefit of others.

So, use whatever monetary resources that the Lord has blessed you with, in obedience to His word and in service to others and to promote kingdom purposes.