Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have…”
As we get older, regular visits to the doctor begin to reveal some things about our physical condition that require change. Inevitably, some physician will tell us that we need to lose weight, cut back on sodium, or have less cholesterol in our diets. Eventually, some test will reveal an elevated sugar level or that our blood pressure is higher than it should be. If you are a student or young adult, you may not relate to the challenges that come with growing older, but you will someday. Enjoy good health while you can, because the day will come when a doctor will prescribe medication along with that terrible four-letter word—diet.
We live in a wonderful era of healthcare where medical professionals can manage just about every health issue we have. Yet at some point, we will be asked to get rid of or reduce something in our diet. This is because many medical conditions are a result of what we take into our bodies. So along with prescribing medications, healthcare providers often suggest that we eliminate certain things that we currently enjoy. Heart condition? Lower your cholesterol. Acid reflux? No more coffee. Diabetes? Eliminate sugar. Celiac disease? Bye-bye gluten. Overweight? Cut carbs. This is why our stores and restaurant menus are filled with products labeled “sugar free,” “fat free,” “sodium free,” and “gluten free.”
If you are young, keep eating your Twinkies and drinking your Red Bull, but just remember that a wise pastor once told you that the day is coming when you’ll have to eliminate those from your diet. Young or old, in this first week of “COST” all of us have been diagnosed with a spiritual condition that will keep us from the kingdom of heaven. Jesus, the Great Physician, has identified a serious “obstacle” to our spiritual health called “riches”. Today, the Holy Spirit, in the book of Hebrews, gives a prescription for overcoming this obstacle; keep yourself free from the love of money.
This chapter continues the “love of money” theme; we have already learned from Scripture that the love of money is a trap and will never satisfy us. Today we consider some spiritual disciplines to help free ourselves from the love of money. But what does it mean to free ourselves and how do we do it? Actually, these words get a little confusing as we translate from first century Greek to twenty-first century English. The writer of Hebrews penned the words “tropos aphilaguria” with the word “tropos” meaning “a turning.” These words together would have been understood as “let the turn be un-silver loving.” In other words, to “free ourselves” from the love of money is to continually “turn away” from it altogether. Spend some time praying and thinking today about how you can turn away from the love of money. Here are some suggestions I would offer:
Turn away from putting trust in money.
As we learned earlier, the reason some of us love money is because we think it will offer us security or will protect us in hard circumstances. In other words, our trust is in money. But the context of Hebrews 13:5 is about trusting God and not money. The rest of verse five reminds us of a promise that God made to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:6; “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Verse six continues the trust theme by quoting Psalm 118:6, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Money and riches are the antithesis of these promises. Money cannot be trusted. Money has left us and will leave us again. Money will forsake us and will not respond to our cries for help or solve our problems. Money will not save us in times of need. The obvious prescription is to turn from loving money to loving and trusting God.
Those of you who have known me as your pastor for many years know that I like to use visuals to help me understand and live out my faith. I’m warning you; this suggestion may seem weird, but many remedies that work are strange (e.g. sitting on a tennis ball for sciatic nerve pain—who knew?). I have tried the tennis ball thing and I have practiced the following “turn” discipline as well. This exercise will require two objects—one that represents wealth, like a dollar bill or a credit card, and another that represents God, like a Bible or a small cross. Place the objects next to each other. Look at them. Now consider which one can truly be trusted. No, seriously. Tell each object your greatest financial fears. Think about your biggest challenge or need and consider which would be most helpful. Literally pour out your heart before the symbols of money and Jesus. By now, you probably feel pretty silly—and that’s the point. Ask God to help you always see life as clearly as this trust exercise illustrates. Repeat as necessary to turn from the love of money.
Turn away from advertisements.
Another real part of this battle against loving money is to turn from the daily bombardment of advertising in our culture. This is a multi-billion-dollar industry, because it works. This is why companies are willing to pay as much as $5 million for a thirty second commercial during the Super Bowl. The goal is to convince you that you need a certain product and then present it in a way that makes buying it Irresistible. You don’t know that you need a new exercise bike, complete with online trainers to help you complete your workout, until you see the commercial featuring perfectly toned people working out. Then you want it. Next, you’re told that the problem with your insomnia is your mattress. You are guaranteed a great night’s sleep if you’ll just buy their mattress. This is followed by a flashy commercial complete with a catchy song and winsome images of all the relational possibilities that will be yours with the newest smart phone. The best group selfies ever and cinematic-quality video will change your life … if only you purchase this phone. Some have estimated that Americans see 5,000 advertisements every day. This could get expensive! There are two simple questions that I learned several years ago that may help you turn from the temptation of commercials. First ask, “What are they selling?” Follow that with, “What are they promising if I buy their product?” Simply answering these questions honestly and thoughtfully will help keep you from being lured in to loving things that money can buy.
Turn from comparing yourself to others.
Here is one last consideration for turning away from the love of money. Some of our desire for money and all the things money can buy is nothing less than the covetousness Jesus warned about in his ministry and that God earlier decreed in the Ten Commandments (remember “Thou shalt not covet”?). When my boys were teenagers, they often told me that other parents were buying cars, athletic apparel, video games, and computers for their students. My response to them was often a very tender, “I don’t care.” I wish I had really meant it! The truth is that most of us feel pressure to keep up with those around us when it comes to getting things for ourselves and our children. But avoid that trap. Make a spiritual commitment never to purchase anything simply because everyone else has it.
The bottom line is that the love of money is real, and it will take intentional prayer and discipline through the Spirit’s power to keep it from becoming an obstacle to your faith. Let’s take steps today to keep our lives from this harmful love affair.