Money Is Never Enough

There is a saying that “money makes the world go around.”  What does this mean? 

We could interpret it to mean that without money everything comes to a standstill.  If having money is important to make things happen what if the supply dries up?  Does life come to a halt?  Jesus told us not to worry about money and yet, when we do not have enough money, we worry.

Jesus said:  So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it.  Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? 

Matthew 6:25-26

Only humans worry about money and their future well-being.  The birds and the animals don’t seem to worry about money?  They don’t have sleepless nights thinking about how they will provide for the future.  How much does our worrying contribute to what we need?

Those who work hard all day come home and sleep in peace.  It is not important if they have little or much to eat.  But the rich worry about their wealth and are not able to sleep. 

Ecclesiastes 5:15

When we speak about destructive dependencies that need to be overcome in a person’s life those certainly are not limited things like drugs and alcohol.  One of the most difficult dependencies we need to overcome is our reliance on money.

To actually give our will and life over to the care of God, the great provider, means that we give up the lie that money is the source of our future security. 

Loving God, You alone are the one who can be trusted to take care of us and our needs going forward – whether they are physical or spiritual.  Help us to be wise in how we work and save money but not leave our ultimate sense of security there. 

Free us from compulsions to overwork and live in stress as we try to earn the maximum amount of money we can.  Free us also from the unwise spending of the money we do have on things we don’t actually need today. 

Take away the false notions that we are owed whether we give our best to work today or not.   Help us to find the right balance in earning and enjoying the income we have today.  Help us each day to do the best we can with the talents, time, and opportunities you’ve given us.  Amen

Money is not what makes things happen in this world, God is!  Let’s choose today to trust God and stop worrying about money.