4 Essential Money Lessons From the BibleExemplo

Hold Money Loosely

As Christians, we are to hold loosely to everything in this life. In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon mentions several times how stressful life can be for those whose life’s goal is the pursuit of wealth or riches. Let’s look at a reflection he made:

“Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded: “All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless – like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”  (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

So, is it wrong to have nice things? Certainly not. But those who are consumed with wanting more and more, they live a stress-filled life. Solomon talks about how the poor man has a peaceful sleep after spending his day laboring in the field, while the rich man tosses and turns worrying about how to hold onto all his wealth (Eccl 2:23). 

If you can learn the value of holding loosely to what you have - which is a lot like “casting your care upon the Lord” - the pressure will begin to roll off your shoulders. “Holding loosely” does not mean you live flippantly and do not take careful consideration for what you have. It means that you recognize that it is all God’s to begin with anyway. 

A first step in holding our finances loosely is generosity. Solomon recognized the value of this too saying: 

“Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns.” Eccl 11:1 MSG

Today, ask the Lord how you can be generous and for an opportunity to perform a random act of kindness.