Being Generous: With and Without MoneySample

How Much Is Enough?

Today’s Scripture contains a thought you’ve probably heard before:

... the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. ... 1 Timothy 6:10 NIV

Notice it doesn’t say that money is the root of all evil–rather, the love of money. But what does it mean to love money? And how do I know if I love money? Fortunately, the rest of the passage answers this question for us.

What is the love of money? As you read today’s passage, you’ll notice that being content is contrasted with loving money. So a person who loves money isn’t content with what they have. Something’s missing from their life, and they’re hoping that more money will satisfy them.

So how do we become content? There are two ingredients to contentment: awareness of what you need and gratefulness for what you have.

What you need: Ask yourself, “What do I need today?” Jesus says that you have enough if you have food, shelter, and clothing. Jesus invites us to pray for provision if we don't have those things. If we have more than what we need, then Jesus invites us to be the answer to others’ prayers for provision.

Gratefulness for what you have: Culture will try to keep you focused on what you don’t have. But Jesus calls us to focus on what we do have. No one has a perfect life, but everyone has something to be grateful for.

Jesus invites us to live with simple trust that God will meet our needs. We can choose to trust God or we can trust money–but we can’t trust both. So the cure for the love of money is learning to trust God to provide.

Pray: God, please help me to trust that You’ll meet my needs every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Challenge: Ask yourself, “What are three things I’m grateful for?”