Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6 NASU).
That last part of verse 5, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” is well known, but what is entailed in trusting in this promise? Well, entailed in it is how we view money.
According to Dave Ramsey, the number one cause of divorce is “money fights and money problems.” He also says that the Bible has over 800 Scriptures about money. It sounds like we are not doing well at heeding the teaching. Money issues is one of those things that most easily causes people to lose trust in God, as if the sign that God is with us is having financial security. The reality is, Scripture shows that there are those who suffered financial hardship because they trusted in God.
In the text under consideration, the one who “is free from the love of money” is the one who will trust in God’s promise to not leave us. This person “will not be afraid.” Yet, money issues seem to too easily make us afraid (I said us, including myself). Those Hebrews were experiencing persecution, which commonly resulted in being burdened financially. When this happened, it was not a sign that God had left. In fact, in the situation of suffering for the sake of righteousness, the financial burden came because they were close to God. People far from God will never reach the point of suffering due to persecution. Paul learned contentment in times of plenty and want (Philippians 4:10-13). Why does it seem that many Christians’ trust in God is dependent upon material circumstances? If that is the case with us, can we really say we trust God?
It needs to be recognized that brothers and sisters bearing financial burdens are to be helped by the church. It could be that some suffer unnecessarily because the church is failing in its duty. However, it should also be recognized that bearing such burdens does not mean God has departed. It is true that many are in financial binds because of irresponsibility with money. Still, others have just fallen upon hard times. How do we respond during these times? The church needs to respond by helping those in need, and as Christians in need, we should respond in trust to God. We will not figure out trusting God until we put money in its proper perspective.
