An Intention for Wealth

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.

—1 Timothy 6:17-18 NLT

Do you remember when God gave Moses the strategy of how to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3:16-22)? Part of that strategy included the acquisition of wealth that technically was rightfully theirs. However, after being enslaved for hundreds of years, the Israelites had become so conditioned by their state in Egypt that they ignorantly used the same wealth they acquired to build themselves an idol to “lead” them (Exodus 32:2-4). Not only was that a waste of wealth, as Moses ended up burning the idol and grinding it into dust, but it also had the potential to derail them from the possibility of entering their Promise Land. This is an example of how material things that are not properly controlled have potential to become things that control us. It is why wealth, in particular, is best when given an intention.

Proverbs 15:16 says, “Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.” This verse almost reminds me of the saying that says “more money, more problems,” but it is my belief that things do not have to be this way. Money can be a funny thing when not given a concrete intention. This is why the Bible gives us insight on what a godly person should be doing with wealth. Ironically, in the story of the children of Israel making a golden calf out of the wealth they acquired from Egypt, Moses was literally in the middle of receiving instructions from God about the type of conduct the children of Israel should demonstrate in all areas of their lives. However, they had not received these instructions as yet and ended up using their money in a way that nearly terminated their destiny and purpose.

In our reference verses today, Paul gives Timothy insight on what he should teach those who are rich about how to regard their finances. He does not give specific dollar-amount instructions about where money should be allocated, but he does give general guidelines about how one should set morally sound intentions for the distribution of their wealth. He also describes what our attitudes towards money should be like. Imagine if the children of Israel had received directions like these before building themselves an idol in the wilderness. Maybe, they never would have built that idol in the first place. Let us consider how important it is to set an intention for wealth and money. It is said that those who fail to plan also plan to fail. Luckily for us, the Bible even gives us a blueprint and guidelines for what we are to do with riches.

Lots of Love, XO