For the Love of Money is the Root of All Evil: 1 Timothy 6:10

This is a famous verse from the Bible that even non-Christians know. It talks about money and if you love it too much it becomes like an idol and it can control your life. This is not to say that having a lot of money is bad, just don't let your love for money control you.

There is a song by the O'Jays called “For the Love of Money” it talks about money, obviously, and how people will steal for it and hurt for it. It's actually a pretty good song, lyrically and musically.

If you're thinking that being wealthy is immoral, well it's not necessarily wrong. It's not the amount of money that's immoral, it's the person who has or wants it that's immoral.

So if you ask yourself, “is it immoral or moral to be wealthy?” You can't just say it is or isn't, you have to look at a person and say, “are they being moral or immoral with their wealth?” To answer this question you need to look at what they do with their wealth. Do they love their money so much that it becomes an idol? Do they use their wealth for drugs and alcohol and other immoral things? Or do they put God, their family, and people in need before their wealth? That's how you can decide. It's the person behind the money that makes it right or wrong.

Another thing to point out is that not all people that give to charities are doing it because they want to help. They could be doing it to show off their wealth, like the Pharisees in the Bible. Are the people giving for the right reasons? Like the widow in the Bible. She gave out of her heart and didn't put her money before God.

Mark 12:41-44 (NIV)

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

So the next time you see someone who is wealthy, don't automatically think, “oh they're a horrible person because they're rich.” Look at what they do with their money. Do they use it to make the “world a better place?” or do they use it for themselves and their own well being? I’m not saying “someone should give all their money away” they have to use it for themselves. But are they exclusively thinking about themselves and their money. In other words, selfishness and idolatry.