The love of money is a cancerous idol. It’s probably a deadly sin. Marriages can die from the love of money. Like any idol, it’s addictive and takes over conversations with friends and families. Songs are written about it. Money by itself isn’t so bad. It’s simply a means to an end. But how much is enough? If the answer is always to have one more dollar than you currently have, then I’m worried about you. What else is so important where you’ll ever stop pursuing it?
It goes back to looking at “love,” “money,” “cancer” and “idols.” Let’s look at all four words to get at the meaning of this ominous sentence.
- Love. OK, we look at passion, tenderness, and even obsession. How about “Unconditional acceptance”? Pretty powerful stuff.
- Money. Pretty straightforward. The stuff that is in your bank account. The stuff that you owe to the credit card company. The stuff that you want to get other stuff that you want.
- Cancer. Uncontrolled growth. In fact, the love of money requires is akin to uncontrollable growth that requires dangerous methods to limit it. Hmmm. Accumulating wealth creates a question. At what point does the accumulation of money become a cancerous growth?
- Idols. Uncontrolled desire. Love, money, and power are all idols. We seek them sometimes at all costs.