Three Attitudes towards Money
“The love of money is the root of all evil.”
Notice, in the quote from the Bible above, that money is not evil; it is the love of money [one’s attitude towards money] that is evil. Money is a necessary part of living a good life. It influences the quality of our relationships, our level of education, our standard of living, our career, our giving and many other things. The most important thing concerning money is our attitude toward it; how much is enough; how to invest it for the future; how to spend it and how to give it away. Which of the three attitudes towards money listed below best describes you?
Can live without money
Amazingly, there are some who live without money. You may wonder how that is possible since we have to eat food to live, and food cost money. Well, here’s how: You can survive by eating food people give you. You could knock on the back doors of restaurants and ask if there is any leftover food you can take; after lunch or dinner is the best time to do this. Some restaurants might give you a free meal. During season you might find wild blackberries or even pick fruit from trees. You might even barter your labor for food. Then, there are plenty of churches and charity institutions who will provide free food and clothing to the needy. At last resort, you may have to dive into a dumpster. Does this sound like a good attitude towards money? The thing is, in most instances, it cost money to eat whether it is your money or someone else’s. Even if food is left over, someone labored to produce the food and to prepare it. Actually, in most instances, there is no such thing as living without money; it’s either your money or someone else’s money.
I have read about several who seem to be very content living moneyless. Some have had good jobs, making a good living and gave it up to live without money. Obviously, this would not work well if you have children, even though there are some who have children and still insist on living without money. I can’t imagine how.
Also, you would need to forgo having a car since it takes money to operate one, but perhaps you could keep a bike. Then there is the problem as to where you would sleep. Maybe you could sleep in a tent, if you have one, and if not, in a cardboard box or under the stars. Perhaps you can build a hut out of scraps you find at the dump. Also, there are medical needs. What if you are sick and need medicine or medical treatment? Who pays for it since you have no money? Of course, there is government sponsored Medicaid, paid for by taxpayers. Once again money is necessary from some source. I know of only one exception to that rule and that is a primitive group of people who live in the amazon who have no contact with modern civilization. Actually, I’m not being facetious or critical of those who find this way of living attractive. I’m just telling you the facts of what is required to live without money.
By the way, Jesus, the Lord, lived without money the last three years of His life, during His private and public ministry, as He traveled around the country healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding the hungry and serving others. He chose to live this way even though He owned everything. Jesus said, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head,” Matthew 8:20. Of course, we are not Jesus and are not expected to do all that He did. After all, He had the power to feed 5,000 with a few little fish and seven loaves of bread, – Matthew 15:34.
For the disciples of Jesus, doing without money was only for the three year time period. At the end of the three year period, just before His crucifixion, Jesus said, “And He said unto them. When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said nothing. And He said unto them, but now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; And he that hath none, let him sell his cloak and buy a sword,” Luke 22: 35-36. Case in point: Living without money is an unacceptable attitude towards money for most people. One thing for sure, it is not a convenient way to live and makes it impossible to fill your own needs without the monetary help of others, to contribute to the church or to help others in need.
Can never get enough money
A good example of not knowing when enough is enough is NBA ex-player Latrell Sprewell, who turned down a 3 year $21 million contract because he said it’s not enough to feed his family. After refusing, he has never played again. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for workers in the United States in the first quarter of 2019 was $47,000 per year for a 40 hour work week. The average family seems to be feeding their family on a lot less than 7 million dollars per year. The Bible says, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income,” Ecclesiastes 5:10. According to Wikipedia, the lust for money is greed. “Greed, or avarice, is an inordinate or insatiable longing for material gain, be it food, money, or power. As a secular psychologist’s concept, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs.”
Diane Coutu accurately said, “Making it big and having it all are part and parcel of the American Dream.” Americans have a living standard that is higher than most of the world. If you own a car, have a roof over your head, a change of clothing and enough food, you are considered in the top percentage of the wealthiest people in the world, by the world’s standard.
A common saying in America is, “Don’t leave any money on the table.” In other words, take advantage of any and every situation to get all the money you can. This is common practice almost everywhere you look. Many companies use fees of all kind to increase their revenue. For instance, in recent years, hotels and motels have tacked on resort fees to get more money from their customers. Some companies will charge you not a fair price but as much as they think they can get from you. Recently, we got three estimates for waterproofing the crawl space beneath the house. The highest estimate was over $10,000. It included things that were not at all needed. I hired a helper and did it myself for around $1,200. An honest company will have a written policy, which states something like this: “We are not all about the money; we want to give our customers equal value or above for what they pay.” If you are in a situation where there are no alternatives, for example, at an airport, you pay far more than ordinary. It is sad that a greed driven economy is foremost in America.
To increase their revenues, some cities have gotten in on the “Don’t leave any money on the table” by fining their citizens outrageous fines over trivial issues. A Florida woman was fined over $100,000 for having a dirty pool in her yard and overgrown grass for a house she no longer owned. Billions of dollars are collected by cities, counties and states in fines, many times over minor issues.
Power hungry, money hungry politicians and people are not exactly pleasant to be around. Their attitude toward life is skewed. However, this is not always the case. Years ago, I had the privilege of meeting with the late Adrian Rogers, who was at the time president of the Southern Baptist Convention, pastor of a large church, with a worldwide television ministry. He indeed was a powerful person in the religious world. Contrary to all that, he was one of the kindest, humblest people I’ve ever met. That is not a common trait among the powerful of this world. Hungry for more power and more money, in most cases, is the insatiable goal that blindly pushes people down a road of unhappiness, discontent and insatiable success. It is like looking for that one thing that will fill the vacuum of the heart but never finding it. Many a life has been ruined by greed, lust for power and the love of money. We need to ask ourselves, “When is enough, enough?”
If greed and lust for money describes you, better change course before you self-destruct, leaving behind a disillusioned mate and children starving for your love and attention. You can change course by changing your attitude toward money. Determine that money will not control you any longer; instead determine you will control it. Start by appreciating what you already have and share a portion of your money with charity and with those in need.
Content with the money I have
Suppose you work hard for what you have; even though, it is a relative small salary, or perhaps you work hard and make a large salary. The point is, can you be content with what you have whether it is a little or a lot? The Apostle Paul, of the New Testament, who experienced having a little and a lot, said, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therefore to be content,” Philippians 4:11. Just as Paul learned contentment, we also, In order to be content, must first learn that material things or money, regardless of the amount, does not bring contentment, neither does it bring happiness.
Our consumeristic-culture promotes discontentment by promoting the idea that in order to be content you have to continually upgrade to better and bigger. Even though a car costing a few thousand dollars would fill your needs well, your mind may tell you that one costing much more is far better. The truth of the matter is, if you can’t be content with a car costing a few thousand dollars, neither would you be with a far more expensive one, which you cannot afford. Contentment can set you free of all the stress and anxiety of discontentment. It changes your outlook on life and enables you to relax and enjoy life.
The attitude, “When I get everything I want, then I will be content” is a misdirected attitude and can never be obtained and will never bring the contentment you desire. A good starting place for taking control is to be grateful for what you have and quit focusing on the things you think you lack.
Socrates said, “Contentment is natural wealth, Luxury is artificial poverty.” Choosing to become a minimalist and living a simple life is encouraged by realizing that ownership requires a lot of wasted time managing and caring for possessions. This time could better be used doing things of greater value. Simplifying your life is the first step to contentment and contentment is necessary to maintain a simple lifestyle.
One of the greatest causes of discontentment is comparing oneself to others. Your neighbor may appear to be better off than you, when in reality they are just as discontent because they are also comparing themselves to someone else they think is better off than they are. No one is ever content by their possessions. If they have a Five hundred thousand dollar house, they wonder what it would be like to own a million dollar house. There is no end to trying to fill discontentment with possessions. There will always be something better and bigger.
Being content with what you have is something to strive for, but on the other hand, never be content with who you are. Always strive to be better, smarter and more useful to society. Remember also, contentment is not complacency, which by definition is “A feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.” You can live a contented life while striving to be your best and accomplishing your goals. You can earn a lot of money and use it to do great things if your attitude is right. On the other hand, the love of money can be your downfall. May God bless you as you choose to do the right thing by determining to have the right attitude toward money and material possessions.
Written by Jimmie Burroughs