The Temptations of Treasure
As a Dutch Reformed person, I’ve never considered myself greedy. I know how to scrimp and save money. Growing up, we raised a garden, butchered our own meat, and drank milk from our own cows. I never bought anything new if I could buy it used. I found myself fully sympathizing with the Dutch person in the Dutch jokes my missionary friend told: “How do you get a Dutch man to climb a tree? Put a penny in it.” Yes, I would definitely climb a tree to get a penny! “How do you confuse a Dutch person? Put them in a round room and tell them there is a penny in the corner.” I definitely had to think for awhile before I realized I would never find the penny in that room. With my background, greed felt like it was out of the question. I never lacked for money, but I never wanted it or coveted it either – I had enough and was content. And then, Bitcoin was created.
I got into Bitcoin investment early – before most people knew it even existed. For several years, my investment was there, and I tracked it occasionally, used it occasionally, and marveled at how quickly it appreciated. This past year, however, I have been using it monthly and told myself I would “have fun” playing around with the volatility. I picked a certain amount to buy – and then sell – each month, making it my goal to make money every time. I did well for awhile, and then I played it wrong. And in losing money, my heart has been revealed. Did you know it is possible for a thrifty, Dutch American woman to be greedy? Well, it is.
Jesus says, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). The context of this warning is that someone asked Jesus to make his brother divide the inheritance with him. Basically, he wanted his fair share, more than he already had. If there is anything that American culture is good at, surely it is good at making us want our fair share, more than we already have. How can we heed Jesus’s warning, fight the culture of materialism and greed, and beware of covetousness? Here are ten suggestions to get us started:
1. Give God Ten Percent - or More
The tithe, or ten percent of what we own, was prescribed in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we have a new rule to live by: generosity. “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Our money reveals our hearts. When our husbands get a raise, do we immediately find three different ways to spend it on ourselves? Or do we think, “Well, we were doing just fine before, so let’s give this entire raise to the Lord’s work”?
2. Live Within Your Means
Most likely if you can’t pay for it, you don’t need it. With the exception of a house, and in rare circumstances a car, most American families can pay for everything they truly need without going into debt. “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 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. 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” (I Timothy 6:6-10). Do we believe the word of God when we are told to be content with food and clothing? That’s not even adding shelter, which would be on my list of the things you need in order to live. How much of American buying is from a desire to be rich – which the Bible tells us is to fall into temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts. Are you scared yet? You should be.
3. Take Second-Best Sometimes
No, I’m not talking about thrift shopping; I’m talking about denying ourselves the American dream sometimes, for a greater good. Think for a moment about weddings. I have heard from multiple brides things like, “This is my wedding, it’s my day.” Or, “This is the best day of my life – so don’t you go messing it up for me!” It’s as if we are given permission, on this special and beautiful day, to simply be as selfish, lavish, and – dare I say it? – covetous as possible. The flowers, the rings, the napkin holders, the candles – the list goes on and on of things that are not needed in order to start a marriage right before the Lord. Is there ever any consideration that this money spent on trivialities actually belongs to the Lord, not to us? Have you brides discussed with your fiancée what the finances of your future life look like, and how much money will be needed to pursue your plans for serving the Lord together? Have you considered that perhaps keeping a friendship pure, and without regrets, may be more important than having everyone around you bow down to you on this day when you reign as queen? It’s okay to desire for your special day be beautiful and memorable, but being financially responsible so as to place God first is important even in this situation.
4. Buy Godliness, Not Happiness
One of my favorite country songs goes like this: “You can’t buy happiness – but you can buy dirt.” We all know that we can’t buy happiness, but living in America, we like to pretend that we can. Buy a bigger house, newer car, paint the living room a different color – the list of lies that “this can make you happy” goes on and on. Sometimes we get a glimpse of the reality of our inner greed, but usually we just pass it off as “good stewardship”, or “I needed to spend it on something useful”, or “I’m adding value to my investment”. All of which may be true, but where is your heart? Next time you’re tempted to buy happiness, think about how you can buy godliness instead. What? But godliness can’t be bought! Of course it can’t, but we can certainly use our money to help us grow in godliness. Are you buying a good theological book, or a fluffy romance novel? Do you have a Netflix subscription but have not paid for a really good Bible app on your phone? Do you go on fancy vacations and spend entire weeks driving to various sports events for your kids, and then find you are too tired and too poor to pay for the gas to go to church on the Lord’s Day? Real happiness is preceded by true godliness.
5. Exercise Moderation
Most Americans can afford to give their children a nice gift at Christmas and their birthday. And the trend is to over-indulge. Instead of a few items that are needed and/or greatly treasured, children get over a dozen presents, with sensory overload that causes them to simultaneously overlook gifts and covet the next one. Do we delight in our children’s delight of things, and feed it continuously, and then hope that somehow, someday, they will figure out that the Lord is their only source of true happiness? What if our Christmas traditions included some way of showing that Jesus is our greatest treasure? We could talk about the gifts God has given us this year, and what He has done for us and how His love has guided us through every trial.
6. Do It For Free If You Would Do It For Money
No, I’m not talking about volunteering – I’m talking about something unseen and even more valuable. What if someone offered you $2,000 to memorize the entire book of Ephesians? Sound good to you? Then do it without the money. Is God’s Word more important and valuable to you, or is money? The Psalmist tells us about God’s laws: “more to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold” (Psalm 19:10). Do we truly believe that? Or do we use our time to get what we already have enough of (money) and thus we don’t have time to spend mining the riches of what we can never have too much of (God’s Word)?
7. (Don’t) Save Up For Retirement
The American ideal is to save up money in a 401k for retirement, for when you won’t be able to work, or won’t want to work, or want to spend your time volunteering. Okay, fine. But are you trusting in your retirement account, or in the Lord? Even our churches have bought into the retirement idea. We have over one hundred thousand dollars in a CD, but heaven forbid that we give that money to missions, or to evangelism, or to hospitality. We might need it to buy a new building someday! It’s as if we don’t trust the Lord to provide for our needs when the time comes. It’s as if financial responsibility equals a miserly “this is mine, for someday later” attitude, and “therefore you can’t ask me to be generous.” Also, keep in mind that your idea of “I’m going to enjoy my money when I’m older” may not actually work out that well. Health struggles may prevent you from being able, either physically or mentally, from enjoying the money you have carefully saved. It is true that we need to plan for the future, and saving for retirement is one way to do that, but we need to be careful that we are doing so in reliance upon the Lord, not ourselves.
8. Suffering Is a Blessing in Disguise
When the stock market dips or you lose your job, view your suffering as a blessing in disguise. Suffering forces us to examine our hearts and see what we were truly relying on. Are we relying on the LORD to give us all that we need for life and godliness? Or are we relying on our diligence, hard work, savvy investment plan, or the blossoming economy? The idol of self-reliance is one that is hard to discern, yet suffering strips away its veneer and reveals it for what it truly is — an idol that will abandon you at the least sign of trouble.
9. Search Your Heart
The Rich Young Ruler was a dedicated churchman, of outstanding moral character. He could honestly say that he had kept God’s commandments as far as he was able to discern. Jesus loved him, and gave him only two additional commands: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). We are quick to point out that Jesus is not telling all of His followers to sell all that they have. He is diagnosing the Young Ruler’s heart problem and telling him that he has to put God, not his possessions, first in his life. All true, but where is your heart? If you had to sell all that you had and give it to the poor in order to follow Christ, would you do it? Would you join the believers who “joyfully accepted” the plundering of their goods, knowing that they had a better and enduring possession for themselves in heaven (Hebrews 10:34)?
10. Where Your Treasure Is, Your Heart Will Be Also
Where is your treasure? Is it in crypto, your earthly possessions, your savings – or is it in heaven? How can you know? If you live in America, you are in the privileged wealthy of the world. Can you be wealthy and still be a Christian? Yes, you can. One way to know if you are storing up treasure on earth or in heaven is to consider your thoughts and obsessions. When you have downtime, do you gravitate towards learning how to make more money, or do you open your Bible? When you are alone with your thoughts, are they about the possessions of this world, or are they about the riches you have in Christ? Pray and ask the Lord’s help to make knowing Him more important than chasing the dollar.
