A wise friend reminded me the other day to read the book of James during a trial. Let’s just say I was having a less-than-perfect day. I curled up in bed with my Bible, something I need to do more often.
I am so glad I did! In addition to the wonderful “how-to” wisdom found in James, I found a very valuable chart within chapter 1. My Bible happens to be a Nelson’s Study Bible, which I find very helpful for someone like myself who became a Christian as an adult, and had little exposure to the Word growing up.
I felt led to share this chart with my readers, since it speaks of money- the world’s view of riches vs. the Word’s view of riches.
What does the Bible say about money?
The Perspective of Rich and Poor
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. James 1:9-11
The World: Money brings freedom.
The Word: The desire for money can be enslaving and lead to destruction; only Christ brings true freedom (1 Tim. 6:7-10).
The World: Money brings security.
The Word: Worldly wealth is very insecure; it will quickly pass away (1:10). Real security is found in know and trusting God (Jer. 9:23, 24; 1 Tim. 6:17-19)
The World: Money is what matters.
The Word: Christ and the kingdom of God are what matters (Matt. 6:33; Phil. 3:7-10).
The World: Money is power.
The Word: Power comes from being filled with the Spirit (Acts 1:8; 3:1-10).
The World: Money establishes not only your net worth, but your worth as a person.
The Word: Your worth is based on what God says, not what your bank statement says (John 3:16; Eph. 1:3-14).
The World: Money makes you successful.
The Word: Success comes from knowing and doing what God says (Josh. 1:8).
The World: Money gives you options.
The Word: God is the One who ultimately gives you options (Eph. 3:20).
The World: Money brings happiness.
The Word: The happiness that money brings is short-lived. In the long run, money can actually produce “many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10).
The World: Money is your reward. Save it, and spend it on yourself.
The Word: Give as much as you can (Matt. 6:19-24; Act 20:35) My personal favorite. 🙂
The World: Money is your possession. Spend it on whatever you want.
The Word: All that you have is God’s to do with as He pleases. You are merely a manager of his possessions. (Ps. 24:1; Luke 19:11-27).
Source: Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible, copyright @ 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.; Â page 2104.
It is so important to keep money in perspective, especially during this season where retailers are pushing us to spend spend spend.
The Happy Housewife reminds us that Christmas isn’t about the gifts. Â Applying the truths found in God’s Word to our lives is certainly a finer thing.
Related reading on this topic:
This post is timely for me, as I sit here trying to make the final decision on what to get my children for Christmas. We entered this Christmas season desiring an even more simple Christmas than years past, but a dear friend of mine said some things this morning that almost made me feel guilty for thinking about buying less. What a great reminder this post is!! Oh, and James is one of my favorite books in the Bible. 🙂
.-= Phoebe @ Cents to Get Debt Free´s last blog ..The Beginning: Surely I’m Dreaming =-.
Great post, Alyssa! I really needed to hear this; sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in “this world.” We may not be rich according to the world’s standards, but we are heirs to the Kingdom of God!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..All You Magazine January 2010 Coupons =-.
Amen!
I really struggle with my faith. A lot. But more than ever, I really need it right now. My husband is out of work and we’re raising three little boys. Thanks for putting it all into perspective and helping us remember the real meaning of Christmas.
Best,
Amy
http://housewifehacks.com
That was awesome – thanks for taking the time during the Christmas season to remind us where are riches truly reside!
This post was such a precious reminder of what we are living for. I needed very much to be reminded of this today. God has blessed us with so very, very much, but in today’s world it is easy to feel like we are failing somehow if we don’t have all of the material things deemed so important by others. Thanks for the reminder that we must live our life with the goal of success defined by God, rather than this very temporary world.
God truly works in mysterious ways. 30 seconds before I read your newsletter/blog, my husband and I were trying to figure out what to pay this week and who to put off. We were discussing our finances and feeling a little lost. I was sitting at the computer, just had entered your Walmart giveaway and then saw the James posting. The glorious book of James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. When I was a single mom with guilt of a divorce clouding my judgement, my preacher father told me to read the book of James. It set me free! and it still does to this day. Thank you for the post and guess what! in 2 min. my heart is light and uplifted and ready for what the world can throw at me.
Thank you! I have been stressing over money quite a bit lately, and this is another reminder (they seem to be coming frequently!) that as a Christian, that is exactly what I should NOT be doing! God is in control. Yes, I need to be a good steward of what He gives me, but I need to let go of the worry and stress. Thanks so much for this post.
Well, this was a much-needed reinforcement of God’s Word for me! This year began as a financial nightmare for our family, but has ended up being a blessing. We lost our home to foreclosure, but we moved into my in-law’s home with a much lower monthly payment and we have been blessed because of it! Less stress, more focus on what’s really important! Thanks so much!
Like everyone else, I needed this. Thank you SO much!
Thanks for a timely reminder of what is important. Blessings!
A timely reminder as Christmas {over} spending is underway. The STUFF isn’t where it’s at…
.-= Amy @ Finer Things´s last blog ..Prepare Your Inner Stable =-.
We are having probaly the smallest ($-wise) Christmas ever in 26 years of marriage. Some years we had more discretionary money, some years we (mistakenly) charged everything. This year we just don’t have a lot of extra money for gifts, and we learned our lesson long ago about charging up our credit cards. What gets me down is not the part about not getting gifts, but not being able to give gifts the way I’d like to. Thankfully, frugal deals and coupon shopping has enabled me to buy some extra ingredients for “goodies” and I’ve decided to do extra baking and candy making, and also making some jar mixes, etc, and using that for outside the immediate family gifts. That, combined with a few small gifts for immediate family, will suffice.
.-= Charlene @ A Virtuous Woman´s last blog ..Mission Possible Walgreens =-.