$ = A Tool, Not a Treasure

Take a look at the image of the rolled $100 bills. We attribute a lot of value to this paper. Practically speaking, we use fewer and fewer of these bills today and opt for our bank card chip or digital wallet. Where the technology is going is kind of wild. Some people wave their hand over a contactless reader to pay at the store. With an implantable microchip about the size of a grain of rice under the skin on your wrist, companies are already giving people chip implants.

Regardless of the payment method, money is a powerful tool. It helps fulfill our basic needs, such as food, water and shelter. Money also creates opportunities, such as opening doors to an education that can change someone’s trajectory. And it can fuel our dreams, like financing the initial outlay for a start-up business, assisting in developing new technology or enabling someone to create a form of art.

You get the point. You’re smart people. You already know this about money. But here’s the most important thing you need to know about money:

MONEY IS A TOOL, NOT A TREASURE.

Money isn’t the end game, and there’s a limit to its helpfulness. When we’re covering our basic needs, every additional dollar makes a noticeable difference. Stepping out of survival mode and into niceties like having a home, better-quality food or more convenient transportation grows comfort in a person’s life, still adding value.

But once a person achieves the comfort zone, the relationship between money and fulfillment isn’t the same. We hit the fulfillment ceiling, the point at which more money and possessions don’t add more value to your life. It hits a peak in basic comforts and then starts to fall in value with every dollar added. Money is a tool, not a treasure.

Look at King Solomon, the wisest person to have ever lived. Because Solomon was so wise, he generated great wealth and prosperity. He received an enormous weight of gold as revenue each year, as mentioned in 1 Kings 10. This is only one portion of his income. Solomon received $2 billion annually in gold in today’s value!

What could Solomon get money to do for him? Well, back in his day, he did a little experiment. He tested himself with what would happen if he bought every pleasure and completed every project he could possibly buy. The result:

“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” —Ecclesiastes 2:11

It was meaningless. I guess it’s true that “Money can’t buy happiness.”  Do you know what else money can’t buy? What Jesus gives. He gave the greatest gift of all time, sacrificing his life on the cross. This has infinite value. Jesus didn’t just die; he gave his life as a ransom for many. Look at how he expressed it in Mark 10:45:

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This is a great option for the mission statement of Jesus. He gave his life as a ransom, a payment for the bondage that sin creates, setting people free. This mission is still advancing, and it’s been shared with us. When we use money as a tool, we invest in this mission by being generous and doing love and good in the world.

Bio:

Jason Nelson is the Co-Executive Director and Pastor of Dynamis Ministries. He, his wife Jodi, and their children Zeb (and Sarah), Aliza and Jozef have lived a faith adventure as “sent ones” in many places. Vocationally, he has served in senior roles in the church and nonprofit spaces. He loves meeting new people, hanging out with family/friends, reading/writing and staying active in fitness.