Love of Money

167 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Tim 6:10) This is one of the most misquoted passages in all of Scripture. People are fond of saying, “money is the root of all evil,” it's not! It's the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil! It is being greedy for money, an obsessive longing for possession of it, that is the root of all evil. Picture yourself as a plant. Your root system provides you with water and nutrients and it anchors you to the soil. If love of money is your root, if it is what is feeding you, your actions will be far different than the one who is fed by their love of God! And if money is anchoring you to the soil, well good luck when the market crashes or the deal falls through! Another misconception we have about this verse is the word “evil” We rightly think of horrible sins committed for the love of money. A classic example would be the murder of Naboth by Jezebel and Ahab for the sake of possessing Naboth's vegetable garden! More on that later. In the Book of James we are given the reason for most fights and wars: Jas 4:2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. These are evil side effects of the love of money, but the word evil here, means to retreat, to pull back, and the real evil of the love of money is the pulling back from saving faith! And as Paul states here, some have allowed their love of money to shipwreck their faith and thereby pierced them through with many sorrows. Do you still want to love money more than God? Then read of the piercing death of Ahab and the ignoble death of Jezebel in 1 Kings 22:29-38, and 2 Kings 9:33-37. An even worse fate awaits those who jettison their faith for the sake of money. Repent of your love affair with money before it's too late. This very day your life may be required of you! What will your possessions do for you then? Do you desire to be lifted from this temptation. Then pray the prayer of Peter we mentioned last time in the Prime Time Devo, as he was sinking into the depths he cried out “Lord save me!” and I might add, “from the tentacles of mammon!”