5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.1 Timothy 6:5-10

One of our most important relationships is our relationship with material wealth. Money plays a significant role in our lives because we need it to eat, pay rent, and buy food. For this reason, Christians can quickly become like many non-religious people whose main goal in life is to make as much money as they can. They love money. They want to make it and spend it. It’s the key to their happiness. But as Christians, what is the proper relationship we should have with money or material wealth? There are three guidelines we should follow regarding material wealth.
One. Don’t be faithful for the sake of financial gain!
Corrupt minds think that “godliness is a means to financial gain.” We do it all the time, sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously. We go to church, pray, read the Bible, and even pay tithe because we want God to bless us in our pocketbooks. We pray for a raise or a better job. We pray to fall into some fortune or for money to fall out of the sky. Whether we’re good at disguising it or not, we’re always praying for God to give us more money. It’s that simple. That’s why we go to church, and that’s the crux of all our prayers. We’re afraid that if we aren’t good Christians, God will somehow punish us financially and not reward us financially. It’s all about the money. We need to get out of this mindset. Don’t go to church to get rich! Go to church to form a more prosperous relationship with God! Go to church to become richer in truth! Go to church to become a better person!
Two. Don’t try to be wealthy!
This is counterintuitive to everything we’ve learned and witnessed our entire lives. It’s our goal to rise, get paid more, move to a better home, buy a better car… more and more. We look at those who are wealthier and get jealous; we work hard and focus all our attention on reaching that level of wealth and even surpassing it. And despair and heartache sprout from these desires, and we end up miserable. With every situation you face, don’t think about personal profit. “How can I turn this situation into a plus financially?” or “Is this a profit or loss?” Instead, experience every situation you encounter as an opportunity to become rich with God and truth. Take each experience as a chance to become more godly because “godliness with contentment is great gain.” So your goal in life shouldn’t be material wealth. Your goals in life should come down to enriching your relationship with God and truth and becoming a godly person.
Three. Don’t love money!
The Bible says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” If you love money, you’ll do what money says. Money is the master and God of your life. And money is the root of all evil. Think about this. How many times has money or the idea of money brought strife and grief into your life? If you love money, you can’t love God. That’s it. Examine your mind and how you’re living. When it comes right down to it, are you a slave to money? Do you love it so much you’ll sell out God? Stop loving money and love God. Love truth. Love your New Self.
Now, if we put our relationship to money on the right track- we aren’t faithful to get rich, we stop trying to be wealthy, and we stop loving money- how are we supposed to live? God gives us just as much as we need! God will take care of it. Worry about your relationship to God, Truth, and becoming a better, godly person, and leave the rest in God’s hands! Matthew 6:8 says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” God knows our financial situation. He knows how much we need. He knows everything. So stop worrying about things that are out of your control or will lead you to sin. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” This is our God. In every situation in life, choose God over money and let Him take care of the rest.

Click for Korean sermon https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1982-9-29-full