By:    Godwin Nene

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Introduction: The value we put on money is making it more important than any other things in our life today. The economist says ‘money is what money can buy’ sincerely speaking money cannot buy everything. Let’s look at the two major words differently. Value is the same as importance, the worth of something or usefulness of something, while money is described as legal tender, currency medium of exchange.

A certain woman brought an alabaster jar of very costly perfume and poured it all on Jesus. His disciples were indignant, asking, why this waste? This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor. (Matt. 26: 8-9). But ultimately, perfume is meant to be used. Even if it is sold, the person who buys it would still ‘waste’ it by using it.

Expensive perfume are not intended for use by the poor. They can only be afforded by the rich. So, what are the disciples of Jesus sayings inadvertently? Is Jesus not rich enough to use expensive perfume? If not, who then can use it without it being a waste?

This raises a number of questions. What makes something valuable? Is something valuable because of the cost, or because of its use? Please let’s not make the same mistake as the disciples of Jesus. Don’t determine the value of something by its monetary value/price. The valuable things are those that are useful to God in our life.

OVERRATED MONEY

It’s generally among us, we are found of over rating money in our life. Some will says, if I can make one million Naira only, that their life will okay, then God will end up give millions of Naira, their life will still remain the same, thy over rated money than their life, forgetting that no money can buy life of any kind. If money can buy life, it then means that we are in trouble, rich men will not allow the poor to have life. Money belongs to Caesar; (Luke 20: 23-25) that means it is not valuable at all. Money can only buy earthly values, it cannot buy kingdom of God value. Money cannot buy life, it cannot buy peace, it cannot buy joy of the Lord.

For this reason, Peter rebuked. Simon the sorcerer, saying to him, may your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money (Acts 8:20]. The things of God are bought without money. (Isa. 55:1)

Based on the above facts, only the poor can afford the things of the kingdom of God. It is far too expensive for the rich. The rich usually have the means to pay for the things of the world. But when a rich young ruler who desired to inherit eternal life was told the price, he discovered that it was too expensive and costly for him.

The cost of eternity life is a man’s life. However, the rich love their lives. They consider themselves to be blessed because of the privileged lives they live. Therefore, they are not prepared to relinquish their riches for the sake of the kingdom. That is why Jesus Christ, says; It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Matt. 19:24)

The Devil’s Agenda

Money cannot be valuable because we are always giving it away in exchange for something else. Surely, the more valuable things are what we use money to buy.  But then there is yet another imponderable here. It is difficult to think of anything of intrinsic value that can be bought for money. This present a dilemma. We work all day to make some money and then use to buy what is not valuable. This provides a framework for wasted lives.

Salam, says; “All that a man has he will give his life” (Job 2:4). He does not say a man will give all he has for his money. But he implies he will give all his money for his life. This shows even the devil recognises that a man’s life is more valuable than his money. Without life, a man cannot even spend money.

So what does the devil do? He creates a world in which a man spends his life making money; thereby ensuring that he waste his life. In order to make money we have to spend something. In this world what we spend is our life. In order to earn money, we have to spend our lives. An employer takes eight to twelve hours of our daily life and give us money his life would have been misted even if he might made a lot of money. Moreover, at the end of his life, that money becomes useless to him. For he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him (Ps 49:17).

A man who spend his life making cannot serve God. Jesus says “No one can serve two masters; for he will hate the one and love the other. You cannot serve God and money (Matt. 6:24)