From the Pastor’s Desk: Morality and Money

The current economic crisis has caused many of us, I am sure, to think more seriously about financial matters. But what I’d like to do is to focus our attention on the relationship between morality and money.

While pundits and talking heads may concentrate on the political dimensions, and engage in blaming one political party or another, let me suggest that there are more fundamental reasons for the mess in which we find ourselves. The Bible is clear — whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. This is a principle that applies to nations, too. We have sown the seeds of forgetfulness toward God — and the Almighty has given us over to our materialistic ways and demonstrated that our false gods of money, mutual funds, and 401-Ks cannot save us.

Our forgetting of God has had other moral implications in the realm of finance. If we act as if God does not exist, then of what use is His law? The Eighth Commandment tells us, “Thou shalt not steal.” And the Tenth Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet,” is designed to protect against greed. But corrupt businessmen who engage in fraud and corrupt politicians who think they can create money by running the printing presses, have pretended that these laws are irrelevant.

Again, God is not mocked: He will take vengeance on men and nations who ignore Him and flaunt His divine law.

But while we can rightly take financiers and government officials to task, we must remember that we have a personal responsibility regarding monetary matters. Have we acted prudently with regard to expenditures? Have we run up credit card debt irresponsibly? Have we purchased houses and property beyond our normal means? How we spend our personal and family financial resources is also a moral issue. It affects us as individuals, and it affects our offspring.

And yet another issue regarding money and stewardship is that of support for the Lord’s work. It has been said that if Christians would be faithful in tithing their income, the Church would have no problem in supporting all of its ministries and missionary efforts. Is it not the case that the current financial situation is, in large part, the result of the failure of professing believers to support the worship and work of the Church to the best of their ability?

A final aspect of money and morality has to do with the sayings of Jesus. The Lord spoke much about money, and in one of His most famous statements, proclaimed, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Money is a means to an end, viz., the promotion of God’s glory in this world. After all, all of the gold and silver belong to the Lord. How we spend our resources says much about who we are, and, indeed, as to whether we are really Christ’s followers.

May the Lord grant us financial stability in these tough economic times. But may He, most importantly, grant us a contentment with that with which He has blessed us, and a comfort in the sure knowledge that our true treasure is not found in this world, but in Christ.

Cordially,
Pastor Frank J. Smith