Stewardship
In our day and age there are many churches that have forsaken the truth of the gospel and instead have preached a prosperity gospel teaching people that God wants everybody rich as though this were the evidence of faith. However, if we examine the scriptures and listen to the godly men of the past we shall see that there are dangers to having a lot of money and wealth.
Only God knows how much any heart can withstand. We must have a certain measure of wealth for this is necessary to buy food and clothing and to have something to give to others in need.
The following is what the church has said about money and wealth. These are quotable quotes from some of the finest leaders in the Christian church. I trust that our hearts can receive what we are about to read with grace for it is the grace of God that gives us the ability to understand the place of money and our relationship to it. We are stewards of all that God has given us and it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
First I shall quote what the Holy Spirit has given us in the Holy word of God and then I shall quote several godly men throughout church history on money and wealth.
"But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."
Deut 8:18
"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 9:23-24
"Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death." Proverbs 11:4
"Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." Proverbs 23:4-5
"Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
Proverbs" 30:8-9
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness." 1 Timothy 6:9-11
“Shun, as you would the plague, a cleric who from being poor has become wealthy, or who, from being nobody has become a celebrity.”
—Jerome
"If God has given you but a small portion of the world, yet if you are godly He has promised never to forsake you (Heb. 13:5). Providence has ordered that codition for you which is really best for your eternal good. If you had more of the world than you have, your heads and hearts might not be able to manage it to your advantage.” John Flavel
“Where there is no want, there is usually much wantonness.” John Flavel
The bee may suck a little honey from the leaf, but put it in a barrel of honey and it dies. Christians must stave of the world so that it does not get into their heart (Psalm 62:10). Water is useful to the ship and helps it to sail better to the haven, but let the water get into the ship, if it is not pumped out, it drowns the ship. So riches are useful and convenient for our passage. We sail more comfortably with them through the troubles of this world; but if the water gets into the ship, if love of riches gets into the heart, then we are drowned by them (1 Timothy 6:9). - The Puritan Pulpit - Thomas Watson
How many souls have been blown into hell with the wind of popular applause? - The Puritan Pulpit - Thomas Watson
(NOTE: I included this quote here because so many who are popular in the world are also rich. They practically go hand in hand as in popular preachers, actors, singers, sports heroes etc.)
“Poverty hath slain a thousand, but riches have slain ten thousand. They are very uncertain, they promise that which they cannot perform, neither can they afford a contented mind.”
—Martin Luther
“And as men's diversions increase from the world, so do their entanglements from Satan. When they have more to do in the world than they can well manage, they shall have more to do from Satan than they can withstand.”
—John Owen
"Poverty and affliction takes away the fuel that feeds pride."
Richard Sibbes
“He who bestows his goods upon the poor shall have as much again and ten times more.”
—John Bunyan
"There is a burden of care in getting riches, fear in keeping them, temptation in using them, guilt in abusing them, sorrow in losing them, and a burden of account at last to be given up concerning them."—Matthew Henry.
Let us never give way to the common idea that people are to be valued according to their income, and that the person who has most money is the one who ought to be the most highly esteemed. There is no authority for this notion in the Bible. The general teaching of Scripture is flatly opposed to it. “Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called” (1 Cor. 1:26). “Let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glories glory in this, that he knows and understands me” (Jeremiah 9:24). Wealth is no mark of God’s favor. Poverty is no mark of God’s displeasure. Those whom God justifies and glorifies are seldom the rich of this world. If we would measure people as God measures them, we must value them according to their grace. J.C. Ryle
The man greedy for money and wealth is a burden to his own soul. Whether he has little or much he is never content or satisfied but like the grave cries more, more. Carlton Pruitt
Carlton Pruitt ministers the gospel to the Los Angeles area. Formerly a Hollywood actor (SAG member)and junk removal expert he now spends most of his time studying the scriptures, writing articles, hymns and poems and doing street preaching.
See his videos on http://www.youtube.com Type LAStreetPreacher in the search bar. CONTACT at Carlton2061@gmail.
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