The Misuse of Money. Luke 16:14-18 The Pharisees overheard everything Jesus said to His disciples and became really stirred up because His teachings condemned them. They loved money and believed that worldly wealth and a prominent position proved that God blessed them with favor and honor. This is similar to people today who claim about their accumulated wealth and possessions, “God has certainly blessed us!” Beautiful homes and church buildings with all the conveniences are no more useful in the work of the kingdom of God than small shelters where God’s people gather to worship and praise the Lord. A home where a Christian family lives with love for God and each other is of far greater value and usefulness than one where they don’t have time to eat together, let alone read the Bible and pray together.
We should not love money or covet anything that belongs to others. Anything that undermines our ability to serve God and His people in Christian love is a misuse of money and time. The Lord knows our hearts, and His thoughts are far better than ours. His ways and thoughts are made clear to us in the Bible. He never praises or encourages people to amass wealth for their satisfaction. However, He speaks extensively about the poor and how He views them. God materially blessed individuals like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but that is not why their life stories resonate with us. Their faith in God and their relationship with Him hold true value.
What is essential for those who direct their attention and lives toward money, in this case, is an abomination to God. To even believe that money can purchase favor with God or secure an entrance into heaven is a grave insult to the One who sacrificed His only begotten Son to die on the cross, paying the price of sin with His precious life’s blood. Those who brag about their religion, wealth, and status, despite what the word of God says, are akin to those who do not honor the covenant of marriage. Their words hold no weight. God always intended marriage to be a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman. Anything outside the biblical framework is wrong. God has not granted us the liberty to act as we please. How thankful we should be for the grace of God displayed to us in so many different ways.