Today we continue our series entitled, “Expecting the Word to Work!” This is part 24.
We have been studying the parable of the sower for over a month now. Within this study we have looked at the first two types of soil and we are looking at the third: thorny weeds. Let’s get back to it this morning. Jesus said:
“Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching, but their lives become full of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not produce a crop in their lives.” (Mark 4:18,19)
In today’s message I will focus in on the words: “the love of money.” If you develop a love for money, your misplaced love will certainly become a weed that will compete with, and ultimately choke-out the Word of God in your heart.
Since we are talking about money, I believe we should get counsel from those who have experience with it. Solomon was the richest man in the world in his day. He was estimated to be worth anywhere from $800 Billion to 3 Trillion. This is an order-of-magnitude more than today’s richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos. The best part of the story is the Lord made him rich.
Let’s learn something from Solomon. In Proverbs 23:4,5 Solomon said, “Be wise enough not to wear yourself out trying to get rich. Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle.” The issue with God is never whether or not you have money. God has made countless people rich. The issue is with money having you, especially to the point where it becomes your underlying motivation in life. I personally know people (a few in my family), who are completely motivated by the accumulation of money. Some have ruined their marriages, relationships with their children, and even their health over the pursuit of the almighty dollar. Once money becomes your motivation, you are no longer in position to allow the Word of God to grow in your heart.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- Solomon taught us NOT to wear ourselves out attempting to get rich (Prov 23:4,5). It’s not worth it. You can ruin your life chasing a few dollars. If you chase God instead of chasing money, God can see to it that money chases you (see Matthew 6).
- There is nothing wrong with being wealthy or even working to be wealthy. If you the read the Bible you will see that God Himself made many people wealthy and He still does today. God just does not want the pursuit of money to be the object of our heart. Some have developed a lust and thirst for money in their hearts to the point where the almighty dollar has actually become their god. This is why Jesus included “the love of money” in the thorny ground category. The love of money is a weed that competes with, and if not dealt with, ultimately stops God’s Word from working in our lives. You must be careful not to allow the love of money to contaminate your heart. If you do, it will impact every area of your life.
- Some people misquote the Bible and say, “Money is the root of all evil.” The Bible does not say that. The Bible says, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people have turned away from what we believe, losing their faith, because they want to get more and more money. But they have caused themselves a lot of pain and sorrow. (1 Tim 6:10). Notice that in our parable Jesus did not say that having money was bad or that having money will conflict with the Word of God. No, Jesus said, “the love of money” is the issue. Paul said the same thing in 1 Tim 6:10. The issue is a matter of the heart. When you love money you have given money your heart. God takes issue with that because He is supposed to have your heart. If you give God your heart, and not money, He can see to it that you have all the money you need for your divine assignment. So never make money your #1 pursuit. Pursue God, don’t pursue money, and before you know it, money will be pursuing you (see Mat 6:33).
- Rest in your divine assignment. When you get to the point where you are at peace with the plans God made for you before the world began, it is then and only then that you can experience true prosperity. What God has to offer is bigger than money and the good news is that it does not exclude it. If you live your life God’s way you can still become wealthy (financially), but more importantly, you will also have a healthy body, a sound mind, a close-knit family, the satisfaction of knowing you are walking in your divine purpose, and an overall Godly understanding of true success.
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. My expectation is tied to Your Word. Your Word teaches me to make You my #1 priority. I thank You for a healthy perspective concerning money. I can have money, because money does not have me. I know money makes an excellent servant, but a poor master. So I declare that money is not my master. You are! I seek You with my whole heart and I experience the success in life You planned for me before the world began. I rest in Your plans and Your provision. I pursue You, not things, and as a result, things wind up pursuing me! With the proper motivation I get to experience Your best without getting derailed from my destiny. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
