pastor-money  I occasionally watch a religious TV station when a preacher is delivering his message. I am amazed at how often they talk about money! Sometimes the whole sermon seems to be about how God wants us to get more money.

   It reminds me that one of the most common criticisms of religion is that it is all about money. Listening to preachers on TV, I can see why some would think that. Actually, not all churches focus primarily on money. (We rarely talk about money here at Bethel Chapel Church.) I’ll have to admit, though, that money does appear to be a major focus of a lot of American Christianity.

   We all need to have some money to live on. Are you surprised to learn, though, that having more money does not necessarily lead to more happiness? A national survey, conducted by scientists at the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, found that the more money a person makes, the higher the levels of stress that person will have. Apparently, a higher income does not always lead to a better life. The survey proved that those who can afford to enjoy life the most, often don’t. They miss meals and sleep; they drink more often; and they get less exercise.

   This reminds me of a story about a successful businessman who took a vacation to a tropical island. One day he noticed a fisherman sitting by his boat, playing with his young son. He pointed to the ocean and asked the fisherman, “Why aren’t you out there fishing?”

   “Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” was his reply, in the musical accent of the island people.

   “Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?” asked the businessman.

   “What would I do with them?”

   “You could sell them and earn more money. Then you could buy a bigger boat so you could go out farther and fish deeper and catch more fish. You would be able to buy better nets, catch even more fish, and make even more money. Soon you could have a fleet of boats and be rich like me.”

   “Then what would I do?” asked the fisherman.

   “You could sit down and enjoy life.”

   “What do you think I’m doing now?” the fisherman replied.

   What does the Bible tell us about being happy? “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment” (1 Timothy 6:6). I have yet to hear one of those TV preachers talk about that verse!

   God wants us to find the contentment He has for us by getting to know Him. When we are experiencing the riches of what we have in Christ (eternal forgiveness, unexplainable peace, the realness of His presence in our everyday lives, etc.), the material things we don’t have are no longer all that important. We begin to see that physical things are only temporary advantages. Paul said, “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:7-10).

   It is dangerous to make money a major focus of your religion or of your personal life. Paul said, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). We are better off when we focus on the One who is able to provide our every need, rather than focusing on the things this world tells us we need. This is why Jesus said, “But seek first

[God’s] kingdom and [God’s] righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

   One Bible teacher put it this way, “Contentment is realizing that God has already provided everything we need for our present happiness.” We tend to long for money because we think that it will bring contentment. The truth is that only a relationship with Christ can bring us true contentment because we need Him more than we need anything else. “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it” (Psalm 37:3–5).