Dough And Bucks

When my daughter was little, we were driving along a country road, and she spotted a deer. She asked, “Does the deer have any doe?” I said, “Ya. Two bucks.”

Today, we will have a look at “dough” and “bucks.” I am not referring to the kind of “deer” that God created, but rather when we hold the bucks and dough that man created too dear to our hearts.

I am talking about money.

The phrase, “Money is the root of all evil,” is one that is often used by both Christians and non-Christians alike.

[hold up money]

So, what makes this so bad? It actually says, “In God we trust,” on it, and we know that God is good, so how could this piece of paper be the root of all evil?

This piece of paper, especially when combined with others just like it can do great things – things that actually do serve God. So, why does the Bible tell us that it is the root of evil?

You heard it just a few moments ago in Paul’s letter to Timothy. The problem is, that’s only part of the sentence. Listen again to what the Bible actually says, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” It’s just a subtle difference between what the Bible says and what we humans often say, but it turns out that those few words have a great deal of significance in the meaning of what is being said.

Now that we have established that this in of itself is not evil, and is not the root of evil, but rather it is the love of this - this stuff – that is the root to all kinds of evil – and all kinds of problems.

What does it mean to love money? Does it mean to adore a piece of paper or admire hunks of metal?

To know what it means to love money, one have to ask, What, exactly, is money?

I would answer that question like this: Money is simply a token that has value only to humans, which is used to trade for other things of value with other humans. Because we live in a society where most of us do not grow our own food, build our own houses, or cars, and whatnot, we have to pay others to do these things for us. So, money is necessary.

This piece of paper is lifeless. It has no power. It does not hear or speak. It does not see. It has no feelings. But you know what? Even when people love money with all their hearts, money doesn’t ever love them back.

However, because other people want it, and will do a variety of things to get it, it can bring power to the one who has it. People tend to thirst for power. Money brings with it power that could be harnessed for good or unleashed for evil.

What comes into question here are two things.

How the power is obtained, and how the power is used.

People will do almost anything to possess this. Most of the things that they will do to get it are good and honorable, such as providing manual labor and or mental brainpower that benefits others, for which they are paid a salary.

However, There are people who want money so badly, and love it so dearly, they will do whatever it takes to get their hands on it, including commit dishonorable acts, such as lie, cheat, steal, rob and take advantage of other people, animals, and the environment without care or concern for others.

They will bring harm to others, and even commit murder. They will sell their souls to the devil, and some will even prostitute their own bodies for money. But why?

People tend to do harmful and evil things when they love money more than they love themselves.

When people place a high value of this – getting it, and then getting more and more of it, they have a tendency to drift away from God and toward all kinds of evil. They lose their focus on a loving God.

There are a number of legitimate ways to acquire money including:

Earn it.

It is certainly honorable to earn money, but when people get to a point where earning money steals their focus from other things, in an effort to “become somebody,” they often become somebody that they don’t like. Proverbs 23:4 states, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.”

Inherit it.

When money is inherited from someone who couldn’t take it with them, do remember, that there is a reason that they had to leave it behind. However, one must ask, “Did they leave it where it will do the most good – for God?”