When I was growing up, I was a very frugal person. I ended up saving more than I was spending. At one point, I had committed to saving half of the allowance I was getting from a scholarship and all the money I would get from grandparents every birthday and Christmas.
The habit proved to be helpful since I already had a stable savings account by the age of 12. But I admit that many times I went overboard. In my well-intentioned attempt to build a security fund for myself, I seemed to have put too much love on money to the point that I denied myself its God-given enjoyment.
Deuteronomy 8:18 tells us, "You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day."
God gives us the ability to produce wealth for the reason that he wants us to utilise it. Sure there is wisdom in saving and storing up, but when it comes to the point that we deny ourselves the functional and even leisurely enjoyment of money, that is going too far.
God wants us to enjoy our money, and there is definitely nothing wrong with using it to experience earthly pleasures. We may sometimes think that because God commands us to commit to heavenly things and not earthly things (Colossians 3:2, Matthew 6:19-20) that we should give up earthly enjoyment all together. But that's should not be the case.
God can also be honoured in enjoying earthly pleasure. That's right. You can glorify God in your shopping, vacations, dates, and small controlled splurges as long as in your heart it does not take God's place but instead builds an appreciation for who He is — a generous God who blesses us financially so we can enjoy life here on earth.
There is a difference between enjoying money and loving money. We can enjoy our wealth while purely worshipping God in our utilisation of the finances He has entrusted to us so as long as we use it properly and not put our hearts into it.
The love of money, on the other hand, becomes a snare because when money comes into our hearts and overtakes God, we become a slave to it instead of letting it be a servant to us so we can enjoy it in a God-honouring way.
What do you do with your money? Do you hoard it and keep it from arm's reach because you depend on it too much for security and meaning? Or do you surrender it to God and allow Him to dictate where it goes and how much of it should be kept? Your answers to these questions will determine whether you are either enjoying or loving your money.
