How To Use Money
A man from the crowd once said to Jesus, "Master, tell my brother to
give me my share of the property that belongs to us." Jesus answered,
"Man, who made me your judge to divide between you?" Then to the people
he said, "Take care that you do not become greedy for wealth, for life
does not consist in having more things than you need."
And he told them this story: "The land of a certain rich man bore large
crops; so he thought to himself, 'What am I to do, for I have no place
to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will pull
down my barns and build larger ones in which I can store all my grain
and goods. Then I will say to myself, Now you have plenty of things laid
up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be happy.'
"But God said to him, 'Foolish man! This very night your life is
required of you, and who will have all the things that you have
gathered?' So it is with the man who lays up wealth for himself instead
of that which in the sight of God is the true wealth.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, and
where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.
"No man can serve two masters: either he will hate one and love the
other, or else he will be loyal to one and untrue to the other. You
cannot worship both God and wealth."
Once as Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury of the Temple, he
watched the way in which the people put in their money. Many rich men
were putting in large sums, but a poor woman came and dropped in two
small coins worth less than a penny. He called his disciples and said to
them, "I tell you, this poor widow has given more than all the rest who
have put their money into the treasury, for they have given out of their
plenty, but she out of her poverty has given all that she has, even that
which is needed to keep her alive."