A SHORT MUSE ON MONEY - Apostle Arome Osayi

Money is simply a legal tender; measure and store of value with which goods and services can be smoothly exchanged. It is one of man’s greatest inventions. 

 

With money, the cumbersome, inefficient barter system by which goods and services were exchanged in ancient times was successfully ended. 

In the twenty-first century, with the aid of the internet, money has even been further developed to the point where it has become digital. Meaning, with just the click of a few buttons, money can change hands and facilitate the exchange of goods and services from one part of the world to another – someone in Ogbomosho in Nigeria can successfully buy and pay for a good or service in Kohtla-Järve in Estonia and vice versa. 

For want of space, we shall not herein consider the onerous technicalities by which money is created, circulated and regulated among the nations of the world. However, it very important to note that what makes money powerful is not its shape, texture, hue or size but that it has been imbued with the exclusive ability to buy – otherwise known as buying power. I tell you, as far as the material world goes, the buying power that money has makes it one of the greatest forces under heaven. 

Now, something with such an enormous power means it can be used to pay for anything that is for sale. This is why it has become so many people’s obsession – they feel if they can acquire lots of it, they will be able to buy anything they want.

Money is feral –like fire, it can both cook and burn; like electric power it can both electrocute and electrify. This means it can both be disastrous and useful depending on how it is handled. 

By design, money is meant to be a tool like, say, a sledge hammer, water heater, tooth brush, can opener and glass cup. But because of the enormous power money possesses, it can, like wild tides, overflow its banks and latch on to the heart of man like a leech or virulent parasite. Thus, provoking inordinate love and affection for it and building a throne (control centre) for itself within the heart of man.

 

Once the heart of man which has been designed to love only God and his fellow man begins to love money, a malignant aberration called the root of all evils is established. The root of all evils definitely will yield the trees of all evil with time. When this happens, a person loses their soul.

This is why the Bible declares in unmistakable terms, 

‘For THE LOVE OF MONEY IS A ROOT OF ALL EVILS; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.’ (1 Timothy 6:10, AMP, emphasis added) 

The spirit force that catalyses the love for money in the heart of man is called Mammon!

But  money is not evil. 

So,

MONEY IS NOT EQUAL TO THE ROOT OF ALL EVILS

But,

 MONEY+ THE HEART OF MAN (LOVE) = THE ROOT OF ALL EVILS

As earlier stated, money is like fire which is a tool of destruction in the hands of an arsonist and a tool of construction in the hands of a blacksmith.

Jesus said,

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in). (Matthew 6:24, AMP)

It is simple; a man who loves money cannot love God. A man who loves God cannot love money. A man who loves God will definitely trust in and serve God. A man that loves money will definitely trust in and serve Mammon.

 A man who trusts in and serves God will sell anything and/or give up all his possessions to move the cause of His kingdom forward (an example is the early Christians who sold their possessions to execute God’s will on earth [Acts 4: 34-25]). A man who loves money will give up God in order to gain money and/or material possessions (an example is Judas Iscariot who sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver [Matthew 26:15]).

Though there was gold as early as Genesis 2:11. Gold would be mentioned as an article of riches for the first time in Genesis 13: 2 thus: 

And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

Strangely enough, the very first time money is mentioned in Scripture, it is so done in direct relation to its ability to acquire a human soul. You don’t believe me? Okay let’s consider it together:

He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, HE THAT IS BORN IN THE HOUSE, OR BOUGHT WITH MONEY of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. (Genesis 17:12 KJV, emphasis added).

But the Bible also expressly declares:

You were BOUGHT WITH A PRICE [purchased with preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.  (1 Corinthians 6:20, AMP, emphasis added)

AND…

You were bought with a price [purchased with preciousness and paid for by Christ]; then do not yield yourselves up to become [in your own estimation] slaves to men [but consider yourselves slaves to Christ].  (1 Corinthians 7:23, AMP)

What is greater than money? Wrong question. The correct question should be, Who is greater than money? CHRIST!

Anyone therefore, who claims to be a Christian and can be bought with money has not known the preciousness by which they were bought and does not know Christ!

May the Lord show us all mercy!

Happy new month!

 Writer - Apostle Arome Osayi