Let's examine a New Testament Scripture that talks about the love of money.
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.Notice the phrase "eager for" in verse ten. This phrase is translated from the Greek word "oregomai."
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.
(1 Tim. 6:9-10)
Bullinger's Greek Dictionary says this word means, "to long after, to try to gain." The Bible is referring to an individual that is consumed with becoming rich!
The Bible is teaching us that the love of money is a state that a person enters into in which they are not content with what they have, to the extent that they are consumed with making more and more money.
This desire is greater than every other earthly and spiritual desire. It's so consuming that a person will try to acquire wealth at the expense of others if necessary. A person cannot be accused of loving money if they just have a desire to make financial improvements.
It's all right to realize that God wants to bless His people (Prov. 10:22; 2 Cor. 9:8-11). However, God wants us to be consumed with Him and the things that pertain to His kingdom (Phil. 3:8-10).
Notice what the book of Proverbs says concerning the blessings of the Lord. "A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished" (Prov. 28:20).
God rewards a faithful person, one who's diligent to follow the instructions in the Bible and serves God with his or her whole heart. Whoever loves money will suffer.
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Joe Cameneti Sr. is the lead pastor of Believers Church, located in his hometown of Warren, Ohio. Pastor Joe, along with his wife Gina, pioneered Believers Church in 1983 following his graduation from Bible School.
In addition to leading a thriving local church, Pastor Joe is the host of a weekly show called "BCTV." The program is aired locally, reaching over 30,000 people each month.
Pastor Joe is a gifted communicator, skilled in the art of building bridges to unchurched America. Transparent and authentic, you'll walk away challenged and encouraged to connect with God in a deeper way.
