Does Your Wallet Reflect Your World View?

By John Brummitt

“Money is the root of all evil…can I get an amen?” Through the years, I have heard 1 Timothy 6:10 misquoted many times to claim if you have money, you have serious issues with your spiritual health. Money itself is inanimate, so it can’t be good or evil—much like a hammer is unable to be good or evil on its own. Both are simply tools.

First Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” When you add the important word love, the emphasis of the verse changes. Anything temporary could be inserted into the position of money: food, sports, family, shopping, and so on. So, what does the love of “whatever” have to do with worldview? Your worldview is how you interpret the world around you. When a situation arises, the lens through which you filter the situation to make a decision is your worldview. As the old saying goes, “Does your walk match your talk?”

In today’s Western culture cash is king. However, for the Christian, Christ is King. Which king does your wallet say you serve? You can live below the poverty line and suffer from the love of money. If you don’t have it but always want or desire it, it is no different than having a great deal of money and desiring more or wanting to protect it. Both have the same end result: a temporary thing takes the number one spot that should belong to our eternal God.

According to exhaustive research, most Americans approach their worldview through their monetary situation. If you make more than $100,000 per year in household income, you earn almost $40,000 above the national average. A study by Princeton University reveals that $75,000 is the “magic” number where emotional wellbeing (the frequency and intensity of experiences of joy, stress, sadness, anger, and affection that makes one’s life pleasant or unpleasant) tops out, meaning your happiness doesn’t increase with more income. The study also shows that money affects life evaluation (what people think about their lives when thinking about money). This increases steadily with the more money the household makes. In other words, more money buys more satisfaction with life but not necessarily happiness. This brings us back to the original question: “Does your wallet reflect your worldview?”

Christ is the ultimate source of happiness and satisfaction in life, but studies show that is not the way we live. We turn to temporary monetary gain to find satisfaction with living, even though more money doesn’t mean more happiness. If our worldview is truly through the Christian lens, can you be satisfied with your life if your income falls below the national average? Are you happier with your joy in Christ than your large bank account? If you were put through Job’s trials, would you still find your hope and joy in God? Job proclaimed, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

If we converted Job’s wealth into today’s monetary value, his livestock alone would put his wealth around $56 million, without considering any other businesses he would have run with his herds. Even though God allowed Satan to attack Job, destroying not only his family but his finances, Job did not waver.

Would the same be true of us? If our world fell apart around us, would we trust more in God’s grace or the currency that states, “In God we Trust?” Does your wallet reflect your worldview?

About the Writer: John Brummitt is director of the Free Will Baptist Board of Retirement. A 2004 graduate of Free Will Baptist Bible College, John began working for the Board of Retirement in the spring of 2006. Learn more about the Board of Retirement at www.boardofretirement.org.