Why You Should Earn All You CanChikamu

I often get the question, “Is making a lot of money wrong?” My answer is always the same: The amount of money someone earns isn’t the issue. What matters is the heart.

Someone who lies and cheats to get ahead doesn’t automatically become honorable once she has more. On the other hand, a generous person who earns more doesn’t automatically become stingy and greedy.

Money simply reveals and amplifies what is already within the heart of a person.

Author Mike Michalowicz puts it like this: ”Money amplifies your character. It is that simple. It allows you to repeat your ingrained habits easily. And unless you have developed a strong, humble character coupled with good habits, more and more money will become more and more of a problem. For example, if you have a drug addiction (a bad habit) and you get tons of money you are likely to do more drugs. Money amplifies the bad habit. It amplifies the character. What about Mother Teresa? What happened when she got tons of money? She used it to serve more orphanages. She used it to do more of her good habits. Here too, money amplifies character. . . . It has no judgement. It just enables you to be more of you.”

That said, as we have seen, God has given us loads of warnings about the dangers of money if we allow it to become our master.

So it’s critical to understand the reason behind “earning all you can.”

We aren’t chasing money for money’s sake, but rather, we are earning all we can to maximize Kingdom impact.

So while I don’t know your heart, God does and can help us get our hearts in the right place. So let’s prepare for the journey ahead.

Join me to pray:

God, like David, I ask that You would search me and know my heart and point out anything in me that offends You and that You would create in me a pure heart. I choose to affirm that You are the Lord and Master of my life and that money will be a servant to fulfill Your purposes and calling in my life. May my trust always be in You, regardless of how much or little money I have in my bank account. When times are lean and when there is an abundance, help me always be aware that You are the Provider of all my needs. May I be content with, thankful for, and aware of the blessings You’ve provided me. I pray that, like Paul, I would be able to learn the secret of being content in any situation. I pray that You would provide an abundance for every good work, and I ask for wisdom to steward what You have entrusted me with. In Jesus’s name, Amen.