In my last Upside Down blog, I focused on the
“worries of this life” from this passage in Matthew. But there is another part
of this verse that deserves attention all on its own: “the deceitfulness of wealth.”
That little phrase carries a lot of weight. I think the key word here is deceitfulness.
Wealth, in and of itself, is not evil. Scripture never says
that money is the problem. In fact, God often blesses people financially
throughout the Bible. But what is dangerous is the deception that can
come along with it when money begins to take a place in our hearts that belongs
to God alone.
As 1 Timothy 6:10 says: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…”
Notice it does not say that money is evil. It says
the love of money is the issue.
The real danger begins when money becomes our focus, our
security, our identity, or our source. An idol is anything we look to as a
source apart from God, and money can very easily slip into that role without us
even realizing it. Once that happens, we begin making decisions based on
abundance or lack instead of seeking what God is saying.
And honestly, this can affect both the rich and the poor.
Money can control those who have it, but it can also consume those who don’t.
Constant worry over finances, striving for more, fear of not having enough —
these things can grip the heart just as tightly.
Jesus said:
“For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
The Upside Down Kingdom
So where is the “upside down” aspect of all this?
We were all raised in the systems and thinking of this
world, and from what I read in Scripture, God’s perspective on wealth is often
completely opposite of the world’s perspective.
The world teaches:
- Accumulate
more.
- Protect
yourself.
- Store
up.
- Climb
higher.
- Depend
on what you own.
But the Kingdom teaches:
- Trust
God daily.
- Give
freely.
- Hold
possessions loosely.
- Be
content.
- Depend
on Him as your source.
Money plays an enormous role in our culture. We earn it,
save it, invest it, spend it, borrow it, and chase after it. It influences
where we live, what we do, and sometimes even how we value people and
ourselves.
So, the question becomes: how much of the world’s mindset
about money are we still carrying with us after entering the Kingdom of God?
The Deception of Wealth
Before going further, I want to look again at the word deceitfulness.
One definition of deceit is:
“Concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose
of misleading.”
That is powerful.
Deception works because we often do not realize we are being
deceived. Wealth can subtly distort our thinking until we begin trusting in
money more than God without even noticing it.
This reminds me of Deuteronomy 11:13-16, "... love the LORD your God
and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul ... lest your heart
be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them..." At its
core, I believe God is saying:
“Keep your eyes fixed on Me, because the enemy will
constantly try to distract you with lesser things.”
And money can be one of the greatest distractions of all.
Blessed to Be a Blessing
I truly believe God delights in blessing His people.
Sometimes those blessings are financial. But I also believe many of us
misunderstand why He blesses us.
We tend to think:
“I earned this.”
“I deserve this.”
“This is mine.”
But the longer I walk with God, the more I see that He
desires us to be conduits of His blessings, not reservoirs that simply
collect and store everything for ourselves.
Jesus said:
“Freely
you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8
Everything we have ultimately comes from Him, and none of it
goes with us when we leave this earth.
The blessings of God were never meant for us to keep to ourselves.
Daily Bread Dependence
Another deception surrounding wealth is the belief that if
we can save enough, store enough, or secure enough for the future, then we will
no longer need to rely so much on God.
Most people would never consciously say that, of course. But
if we are honest, sometimes that is what lies underneath our striving for
security.
We fear lack.
We fear uncertainty.
We fear needing to trust God too much.
But Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:25-34 not to worry about our
lives, because our heavenly Father already knows what we need.
I think often about the Israelites in the wilderness and the
manna God provided each morning. They were instructed to gather only what they
needed for that day. If they tried to hoard it, it spoiled and filled with
maggots.
Why? Because God was teaching them dependence.
He wanted them to learn:
“I will provide for you tomorrow just like I provided for you today.”
Even their clothes and sandals did not wear out during those
forty years in the wilderness. That kind of daily trust is completely upside
down from the world’s way of thinking.
The Dead Sea Syndrome
I once heard someone compare this principle to the Dead Sea.
The Dead Sea receives water, but it has no outlet. Because
there is no flow outward, the water stagnates and nothing thrives there.
I think our hearts can become the same way spiritually.
When blessings only flow to us but never through
us, something begins to stagnate inside us. We slowly stop relying on God and
begin relying on what we have stored up instead (see Luke 12:15-21)
God designed His blessings to flow. Not just for our
benefit, but so others can encounter His goodness through us.
Jesus spoke very directly about wealth because He knew how
easily it could capture the human heart.
He warned:
“Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.” Matthew 6:19-21
And again:
“Watch
out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist
in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
The issue was never simply possessions. The issue was always
the heart.
Are we rich in possessions but poor in dependence on God?
Are we storing up treasures on earth while neglecting eternal treasure?
Are we trusting in wealth more than we trust in Him?
Those are difficult questions, but important ones.
So, to wrap this up, I believe the “deceitfulness” of wealth
is the subtle lie that what we have belongs solely to us, exists for us alone,
and can ultimately provide what only God can provide.
That mindset is completely upside down from the Kingdom of
God.
God calls us to trust Him daily, to hold earthly things
loosely, and to become vessels through which His blessings can flow freely to
others.
He alone is our source.
Father, I pray that
You would give us all a revelation of the areas that money (or the love of it)
may have gotten a hold of us and allowed the enemy to deceive us. Please reveal the truth of the deception as
well as the truth of Your desire to provide for us in all ways. Help us to trust You more and more for our
daily provision and learn to look to You for all of our needs. In Jesus’ name,
amen.
Selah / Reflection
Take a moment and ask yourself:
- What
role does money truly play in my heart?
- Do I
see God as my source, or do I feel safer trusting in what I can control?
- Am I
holding tightly to what God has given me, or am I willing to let His
blessings flow through me?
Sometimes the greatest deception is not obvious greed, but
subtle dependence.
May we learn what it means to trust our Father for our
“daily bread” and find our security in Him alone.
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1 Timothy 6:17
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