Is it God’s desire for us to be rich? Is there anything wrong with pursing riches? What is God’s will for us and money?






Is Money the Root of All Evil?
There are more warnings about riches in theBible than there are ways in which money will help believers. Key verses in the Bible give us somber warnings about money.
1 Timothy 5:6-11 warns us that there will be“constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world,and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
Money is not the root of all evil but the root of all kinds of evil. Money of itself is not evil but the pursuit of riches is. It is at the root or the bottom of all kinds of evil. My old history professor once said that if you look at human history you will always discover that money is the bottom line. The Jews associated wealth with having God’s favor but that is not supported by Scripture. Contentment is godliness as Paul wrote to Timothy, falling into the pursuit of riches people fall into great temptations. Imagine if you had all the money you could ever want. For most people, it is more than they can handle because they can have anything they want. Lust breeds sin and sin breeds death. Indeed, they are pierced through with “many pangs” because it corrupts the heart. Just as absolute power corrupts absolutely, absolute riches corrupt the human heart

Hey OP....just come straight. You are poor and lost hope because your pastor have completely drain your pocket dry.

This is from your bible

Ecclesiastes 10:19
New International Version
A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything.

Proverbs 10:15
New International Version
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

Proverbs 14:20
New International Version
The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.

Ecclesiastes 7:12
New International Version
Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.


GET RICH OR DIE TRYING

Does God Want us to Be Rich?


God does want us to prosper in all things as John writes in 3 John 3:2-3“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” Some translations say “that you prosper in all things”but the better translation given above is more accurate andJohn’s prayer is that the church may be in good health and that it “may go well with you.” Sadly, many prosperity preachers take the wrong translation and would have John pray “that you prosper in all things.” God is not against people getting rich but He is against those who pursue riches. Paul wrote“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich”(2 Corinthians 8:9)



If Jesus equated God’s blessing to having wealth, then Jesus was not blessed because Jesus says in Matthew 8:20 that“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but theSon of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”Can we imagine if Jesus were living on earth today that He would drive a BMW and wear aRolex watch? Paul warned that he“who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God”(Ephesians 5:5). Jesus said,“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hatethe one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”(Luke 16:13). In Luke 12:33-34 Jesus says the true riches will come to those who“sell all [their] possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”That does not mean we should giveeverything away but we should give to storeup treasure in heavenand not on earth.
Someday, all things on this earth will be burned up but what is sent ahead to heavenwill remain forever. If you love money, you may not love the Lord. God is not against prosperity but against those who covet riches.“Those who are victorious will inheritall this [eternal life with God in heaven], and Iwill be their God and they will be my children.”( Revelation 21:7) because“if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”(Romans 8:17).http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/does-god-want-us-to-be-rich-a-bible-study/

deut 8;:17,18 and ecclle 7:12 God gives us power tp but we must apply Wisdom of loving others as yourself.

Hmm, ok

Every child of God has access to prosperity , but it's left for individuals to draw from heavens account.

I hope this verse of scripture will give you a perspective on godly prosperity.

I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded. (Ecclesiastes 9:13-16 RSV)

Hey Tobe,

Nice thread!

I believe firmly that it is God's wish that every man be wealthy. If it wasn't, he wouldn't have made wealth in the first place. The richest man to have ever lived, in my books, was Adam.

Adam had what no single man will ever have. He had the whole world to himself before the advent of Eve. What we tag riches (in terms of material wealth) today is basically a share in what the world has to offer, which is not exactly owning the entire world.

Scriptures seem to be against the acquisition of wealth for one particular reason...man most often than not loose sight of the creator whenever his gaze is focused, steadfastly, on the acquisition of material gains.

In itself, money is not wrong. In itself, money is meant for the good of man; but whether money ultimately becomes a good to man largely depends on man's ability to have a firm mastery of it.

He became poor so dat we might be rich.

amara.lizzy%40y:
He became poor so dat we might be rich.

Hmmm...

...that I think would be spiritual riches.

Being rich does NOT mean having 10
million oil wells, it means having a full supply. Let us be content with that, and always give to the needy

striktlymi: Hey Tobe,
I believe firmly that it is God's wish that every man be wealthy. If it wasn't, he wouldn't have made wealth in the first place. The richest man to have ever lived, in my books, was Adam.

What does it mean to be wealthy then? what amount of cash in the bank (or in assets) is required before a man can say he is wealthy? is there a threshold? i.e. anything above N100,000 or N100million

striktlymi: Hey Tobe,
I believe firmly that it is God's wish that every man be wealthy. If it wasn't, he wouldn't have made wealth in the first place. The richest man to have ever lived, in my books, was Adam.

Can we really say God made wealth? He made the resources available to all men and it is the accumulation of these resources that result in wealth (i think ).

FOLYKAZE: Hey OP....just come straight. You are poor and lost hope because your pastor have completely drain your pocket dry.

This is from your bible

Ecclesiastes 10:19
New International Version
A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything.

Proverbs 10:15
New International Version
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

Proverbs 14:20
New International Version
The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.

Ecclesiastes 7:12
New International Version
Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.


GET RICH OR DIE TRYING

FOLYKAZE....AWESOME, DUDE!! YOU BEING AN ATHEIST, I DON'T NORMALLY AGREE WITH YOU...
BUT THIS..... I AGREE WITH

Zikkyy:

What does it mean to be wealthy then? what amount of cash in the bank (or in assets) is required before a man can say he is wealthy? is there a threshold? i.e. anything above N100,000 or N100million

This is relative. There is no peg on the amount of wealth a single individual can have. It all depends on what we tag: wealth. For our discourse wealth could simply mean having more than enough material resources which could be in the form of money.

One can have a billion naira and still be very poor. If an individual is worth one billion in cash but owes 2 billion, that individual is still quite poor. Hence, wealth can be seen as having more than enough net material resources which can be in the form of money. Though the question can be asked: how much is enough??

Zikkyy:
Can we really say God made wealth? He made the resources available to all men and it is the accumulation of these resources that result in wealth (i think ).

Wealth is basically 'resources'...God gave us these resources and as such, one can attribute the making of wealth to him.

^^ rich- having a full supply

striktlymi:
This is relative. There is no peg on the amount of wealth a single individual can have. It all depends on what we tag: wealth. For our discourse wealth could simply mean having more than enough material resources which could be in the form of money.

was taught in economics that human wants are insatiable. interpreted by Zikkyy in this case to mean having Bill Gates kind of wealth may not be enough. From the bolded above, can i interpret wealth to mean 'contentment'?

striktlymi:
Wealth is basically 'resources'...God gave us these resources and as such, one can attribute the making of wealth to him.

for an individual wealth is having the resources in abundance. i.e. accumulation/storage of resources. I don't think that is God's plan for making the resources available and knowing it will never be enough to go round. I guess that's where charity comes in.

Misunderstood_G:
FOLYKAZE....AWESOME, DUDE!! YOU BEING AN ATHEIST, I DON'T NORMALLY AGREE WITH YOU...
BUT THIS..... I AGREE WITH

so because he atheist u don't agree wif him.now because he said something to ya favour,u agree?does it matter u speak dem truth?

Zikkyy:

was taught in economics that human wants are insatiable. interpreted by Zikkyy in this case to mean having Bill Gates kind of wealth may not be enough. From the bolded above, can i interpret wealth to mean 'contentment'?

Hmmmm....not exactly!

If we define wealth in terms of our 'want' then we would miss the mark. I would rather prefer to define wealth in terms of our 'needs'. We can't have enough resources to satisfy our every want but we can have more than enough to satisfy our needs. If someone has enough resources to meet his needs and more then that individual can be termed to be wealthy.

Now, in my opinion, contentment has little or no role to play here because one can be content with whatever he has without necessarily being wealthy. For instance, a beggar who cannot meet his basic needs of food, clothing, shelter and education can still be content though he is not wealthy.

Zikkyy:
for an individual wealth is having the resources in abundance. i.e. accumulation/storage of resources. I don't think that is God's plan for making the resources available and knowing it will never be enough to go round. I guess that's where charity comes in.

Hmmm....

The resources we have in the world are enough to go round and make everyone rich. If they were not enough, then God would have been a very bad father. Thankfully, he is good and he has provided for us. The problem we are having is basically greed and selfishness.

Though I understand that the selfish motive is not entirely bad in itself because if not for this, we would still be using the trade by barter system to this very day. The point really, is that God gave us enough resources to go round and make everyone rich.

striktlymi:
If we define wealth in terms of our 'want' then we would miss the mark. I would rather prefer to define wealth in terms of our 'needs'. We can't have enough resources to satisfy our every want but we can have more than enough to satisfy our needs. If someone has enough resources to meet his needs and more then that individual can be termed to be wealthy.

I read you saying anyone with resources in excess of his needs (no specific measure/amount given though) is wealthy. So a beggar under obalende bridge with his basic needs satisfied (having more than enough cash to buy agege bread, he is clothed and obalende bridge provide shelter provides shelter) can be considered wealthy.

striktlymi:
The resources we have in the world are enough to go round and make everyone rich. If they were not enough, then God would have been a very bad father. Thankfully, he is good and he has provided for us. The problem we are having is basically greed and selfishness.

You still need to define what you mean by 'rich'. if you are saying having resources in excess of our need, then to what extent? for sure we cannot have 6 billion bill gates. the earth resources cannot support it.

At what point having in excess of our needs becomes greed/selfishness.

flourishG: so because he atheist u don't agree wif him.now because he said something to ya favour,u agree?does it matter u speak dem truth?

I love most of christ teaching (love, charity and respect for authories) but hate your christinsanity concept (exploitation, dooming non-believers and hypocrisy)

You know where you fit there

Zikkyy:

I read you saying anyone with resources in excess of his needs (no specific measure/amount given though) is wealthy. So a beggar under obalende bridge with his basic needs satisfied (having more than enough cash to buy agege bread, he is clothed and obalende bridge provide shelter provides shelter) can be considered wealthy.



You still need to define what you mean by 'rich'. if you are saying having resources in excess of our need, then to what extent? for sure we cannot have 6 billion bill gates. the earth resources cannot support it.

I have already addressed the above.

Zikkyy:
At what point having in excess of our needs becomes greed/selfishness.

In my opinion, we become greedy when we want more without being willing to share.

Yes, but not for all. In this satan-run world, even though it is not a sin to be rich, God's blessings for all differs!
In our present world everybody wants to be rich; everybody wants to live to old age; everybody wants to have good health; every lady wants the tall, dark, handsome guy; everybody wants to be a leader; in fact, everybody seeks the good life. After the Eden saga God placed a curse on man(kind), and it is:"At the sweat of your face thou shall feed. Our era preaches the 'either you get rich now, or you die a poor man.' This Edenic curse simply means that hardwork will always make you 'full' to your stomach, not make you rich. It means that wealth is a gift. For example, hardwork is not the key factor in determining wealth, the reason you see some 'lazy' people get enormous wealth, or else people engaged in strenous activities would have become the 'envy of the society.'
My people say that wealth is from God, and I believe it so. Being rich is a gift, just like old age, strength, height, intelligence, sexual performance, skin complexion et c. When it comes to wealth, everybody is a table turner. That is, some people could be born into riches, some into wretchedness, but everybody has the tendency of moving from one side of this money lawn to the other, yet God chooses who to crown. In our present world, God saw to it that all fingers are not equal; everybody does not have that angelic voice. In God's new world, everybody's gifts may be the same.

striktlymi:
In my opinion, we become greedy when we want more without being willing to share.

Okay. Interpreted to mean "greed comes from the accumulation of resources".

striktlymi:
In my opinion, we become greedy when we want more without being willing to share.

i agree. God want us to share (from those with excess to those with deficit). all needs should be satisfied.

Zikkyy:

Okay. Interpreted to mean "greed comes from the accumulation of resources".

Not necessarily but in part you are right.

One need not have excess of resources nor accumulate resources (strictly speaking) to be greedy.

Zikkyy:
i agree. God want us to share (from those with excess to those with deficit). all needs should be satisfied.

Cool!

l thought d topic said: must everybody be rich. Make una manage with the patch-patch wey I dey use mend the first post. I see faster than my shadow. LOL

whatofyou: l thought d topic said: must everybody be rich. Make una manage with the patch-patch wey I dey use mend the first post. I see faster than my shadow. LOL

It all depends on your definition of the word 'rich'.

What means rich for you.

Belief many people who are rich have many problem and money is not all in life.

But nigerians there is all about money.
I have friends in many countries of the world and in no other country they speak so much about money.

Niagerians spaek about money run to the churches but, many have a heart of stone and also this so called man of god have a heart of stone.
Everybody want to get rich fast without hard work and this so called man of god preach also miracles that the people can get rich very fast.

In my country we have a fairytail about a man who want to get rich very fast when he sell his soul to the devil.

I feel this happen since some years in nigeria.

SUMMARY/ADDITION


is it God's plan forus to be rich?


Yes, after creation, He said " in herit the earth"

however when Adam sinned, man was punnished to toil the ground.

Not every one really wants to sweat. We all want easy wealth. Hence, we tend to cut corners for cheap wealth.including, killing and stealing.

Jesus warned us to seek Gods kingdom first and others including wealth follows.

If seeking wealth would lead us to sin, stop.. It is better to be poor and make heaven than be rich and make hell.


It is also difficult to maintain riches and true christianity. Christ warns , " it is easier for a camel to enter niddle eye dan for a richman to make heaven..."if riches would lead you to sin, cut it off"

Why are Churches filled with riches when Jesus asked his followers to give their wealth away?

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,"
Matthew 6:33.

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” Luke 12:15.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” Matt. 6:19–20a NIV.

“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. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:12–13 NIV).


"Supposing that gain is godliness; from such withdraw thyself...But godliness with contentment is great gain...And having food and clothes let us be content...But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts...For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith...But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness,"
1 Timothy 6:6-11.


"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days."
James 5:1-3


God wants us to have a balanced view on money. The Bible does not denounce wealth or riches per se. It is not a sin to be wealthy; some very godly people in the Bible—Abraham and Job, for example—were quite wealthy. Rather, God condemns a love of possessions or riches (Luke 16:13; 1 Tim. 6:10; Heb. 13:5). A love of material things is a sign that a person is living according to a temporal perspective, not an eternal perspective.

The Bible tells us that a love of money and riches can lead to destruction. The apostle Paul categorically stated that “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” (1 Tim. 6:9). He also warned that “there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money . . . lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim. 3:1–5 NIV).

tobechi20: Is Money the Root of All Evil?

@OP, the love of money is what is the root of all evil not money for money is a shadow of real value.
I Timothy 6:10
For THE LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows

If a person has all the money in the whole world but is lost in a desert, the money is as usueless as the sand of the desert to him.

God desire is for us to be rich towards Him and lay up our treausre in heaven. Truly rich people give out more and hold less because when they have a need, God raises up people to supply it or make easy avenues to get it, so really why hoard to self without being rich to God?

Luke 12:21
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God

Philipians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus


Spend time seeking Him and doing good and watch God add all other things to you.