Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
“My children, the love of money leadeth to idolatry; because, when led astray through money, men name as gods those who are not gods, and it causeth him who hath it to fall into madness.”
Testament of Judah 19.1 (second century BC).
Why quote from ancient Jewish apocalyptic literature today?
“Love of money” is one of the most common and grievous maladies I see in struggling ministry leaders today. The evil one uses this tactic to lead even the most devout disciples astray. They spend all their energy pursuing money rather than God, all the while thinking money is what they need to make ministry happen.
The author of Hebrews in the NT echoes the Testament of Judah and affirms that rather than worrying about what we don’t have (which is the madness of the love of money), we focus on contentment with what we do have, because friends, we have God and He will never forsake us.