Biblical Advice on Living WellSample

How to manage your possessions

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5)

For many people, getting rich is attractive. It may even be one of your life goals. For if you have a lot of money, you can buy everything you want and be independent of others. Doesn’t that sound great?

The Bible points out that love of money can be a pitfall. For one thing, it can make us jealous and dissatisfied with our present circumstances. There will always be others who have more money, a larger house, or a newer car than we do. If we always want more, we can’t even enjoy what we already have received as gifts from God!

Another pitfall here is that our possessions can take up so much of our attention, that we forget about other things in life that are even more important — our relationship with God, for example. And once we have gathered the wealth we are longing for, it is easy to forget about our dependence on the Lord God because we seem so self-sufficient.

Hebrews 13 advises us to be content with what we have and to enjoy it as a gift from our loving heavenly Father, trusting that He will also provide in the future (Hebrews 13:5). Then we can use our wealth to honor God and to share with those in need.

What role does money play in your life?