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THE ANCIENT LIE

    Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. [18] Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. [19] In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. _^[NIV]

    Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
        but righteousness delivers from death. _^[NIV]

    Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
    [16] And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. [17] He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
    [18] "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
    [20] "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
    [21] "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
    [22] Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. [23] Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. [24] Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! [25] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? [26] Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
    [27] "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [28] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! [29] And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. [30] For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. _^[NIV]

    No man can redeem the life of another
        or give to God a ransom for him--
    [8] the ransom for a life is costly,
        no payment is ever enough--
    [9] that he should live on forever
        and not see decay.
 
    [10] For all can see that wise men die;
        the foolish and the senseless alike perish
        and leave their wealth to others.
    [11] Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
        their dwellings for endless generations,
        though they had named lands after themselves.
 
    [12] But man, despite his riches, does not endure;
        he is like the beasts that perish.
 
    [13] This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
        and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
Selah  _^[NIV]

    Whoever loves money never has money enough;
        whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
        This too is meaningless.  _^[NIV]

THE TRUTH ABOUT MONEY & HAPPINESS

What Does God Promise Us?

    and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. _^[NIV]

    Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. [24] Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, [26] I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. [27] I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. [28] Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. _^[NIV]

    All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
    [16] Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. [17] For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. [18] So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. _^[NIV]

Finding Contentment

    But godliness with contentment is great gain. [7] For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. [8] But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. _^[NIV]

    I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. [12] I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. [13] I can do everything through him who gives me strength. _^[NIV]

    Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

    "Never will I leave you;
        never will I forsake you."
 
[6] So we say with confidence,

    "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
        What can man do to me?"  _^[NIV]

    Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." [10] Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. _^[NIV]

The Three Key Gauges of Toxic Materialism

    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. [10] 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. _^[NIV]

  My deepest and strongest desires.

    He who works his land will have abundant food,
        but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
 
    [20] A faithful man will be richly blessed,
        but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. _^[NIV]

    A stingy man is eager to get rich
        and is unaware that poverty awaits him. _^[NIV]

    "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. [11] So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? _^[NIV]

    What a man desires is unfailing love;
        better to be poor than a liar. _^[NIV]

  The pattern of my decisions.

    "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. [11] So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? [12] And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?
    [13] "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
    [14] The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. _^[NIV]

    Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. [6] But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. [7] And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.
    [8] So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. [9] Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."
    [10] Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) [11] So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: [12] Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. [13] Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. _^[NIV]

    The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. [12] They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. _^[NIV]

    The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. _^[NIV]

  The level of my dissatisfaction.

    and find out what pleases the Lord. _^[NIV]

    Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
        have the wisdom to show restraint.
    [5] Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
        for they will surely sprout wings
        and fly off to the sky like an eagle. _^[NIV]

The Key to Victory

    But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. _^[NIV]

    So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. _^[NIV]