I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:12, NIV)
Lately, the press—on TV, on social media, and now in the courtroom— have made quite a deal about the new Saudi tour and the rift that has arisen with the PGA.
The issue is multifaceted, but it keeps coming back to money. Of course, the “love of money” is not restricted to professional golfers– LIV or PGA Tour players. Maybe I’m aware because I struggle with greed myself; it is one of the planks in my eye.
The Bible has twice as many verses about money as it does about faith or about prayer. The Lord knows our hearts and how much we will struggle with the temptations that money will bring to our lives.
1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” The preceding verse states, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
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Who or what will your master be? “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
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This passage tells us that the love of money is a problem for both the believer and the unbeliever. For the unbeliever, money becomes an idol—the caretaker and answer for all of life’s problems. Many people presume that, with enough money, they won’t have needs, that money can solve all one’s troubles. But God’s word tell us, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be”(Luke 12:34). Money and the pursuit of it can blind us to our need for a Savior.
For the believer, money often remains a temptation. We must understand that if something is green, then it is God’s. He is the giver of every perfect gift. We are only the stewards. “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). God raises up, and he deposes. And we learn valuable lessons about both the Lord and ourselves as we are elevated and deflated.
Who or what will your master be? “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
The great news is that we can learn to be content. From Philippians 4:12, Paul explained that he had learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. That discovery says to me that contentment in all circumstances is not a natural thing. It must be learned. Our Lord is the perfect teacher, and he uses the hands-on method for most of us.
Paul’s contentment grew over time. It did not come quickly, nor did it not come easily. However, contentment did come. By God’s grace, it can be the same for you and me today. Let us make more of the blessings in our lives than we do of the difficulties. Let our focus be on the Lord and not on our circumstances.
Let us lean into the Lord Jesus. The secret that Paul found was “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Let us do all things in his strength and not in our own.
Prayer: Father God, in Jesus’ name, show me the greed in my heart so that I may learn to be content in you.