I wanna be rich!

1 Timothy 6: ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

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“Do you have any stock tips for me?” I asked a very wealthy man. “Not really” he replied “they bounce around a lot, but I did make a boat load on ‘x’ stock last year." I quickly jumped on my computer and began my new get rich quick plan of “day trading.”

Months after the purchase of my penny stock, I received a letter from the SEC stating the company was no longer in business and my money was gone!

Money itself is not evil.

• The “love” of money causes me to do strange things.
• The “love” of money makes me stay in a job that’s bad for my health.
• The “love” of money grows my greed and shrinks my giving.
• The “love” of money increases my envy, raises my insecurity and inflates my ego.
• The “love” of money makes me forget I need GOD.

There is nothing wrong with having money and there certainly is not a problem with having a lot of it, BUT GOD wants me to keep my wealth in perspective.

• GOD wants me to share my wealth so that I would not forget HIM.
• HE always wants me to depend on HIS love, not my wealth or security.
• GOD wants to supply my needs wealth tends to feed my lusts.
• HE does not mind me being wealthy as long as HE is first in my mind, body and soul.

In my wealth, I found myself less eager to pray and more eager for the finer things on life. When people approached me for assistance, I would judge their motive and methods. “Why are they in this position?” I would ask myself in a judgmental tone. In reality, I was just thinking of reasons to keep my wealth.

Fear ensues when I worry about money because I depend on “it” rather than GOD. Now I know HE wants me to depend on HIM rich or poor.

• Are you worried about money?
• Do you depend on money more than GOD?
• Do you think or talk about money more than discussing what GOD has done for you?
• Are you trying to be “good” for a short period of time in hopes to manipulate GOD into making you rich?