But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery]. For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:9-10, AMP)

Have you ever felt like a slave to money? Maybe you feel like you can never keep up with bills. Maybe you’ve felt the pull of materialism and the pressure always to have the newest car or the coolest clothes. God wants you to experience freedom from these things.

A lot of people see money as a bad thing. They view it as the root of all evil. But the Bible doesn’t teach that. 1 Timothy tells us that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”

Jesus talked about money a lot. Sometimes He was teaching specifically about finances, and other times He simply used it as an analogy to help people understand deeper spiritual truths. Jesus knows that money is important because it often reveals what’s in our hearts.

God cares about money because He cares about us! Freedom in this area is part of the full life that Jesus came to give us. God wants us to have freedom from greed, freedom from debt, and freedom to be generous. Over the next few days, we’ll learn more about what the Bible says about each of these and how we can apply that to our lives.

The riches on earth are temporary, but the true riches are eternal. If we set our eyes on these things, we’ll find that what we give up… God will replace abundantly.