1 Timothy 6:10
What does the Bible say about God blessing your finances? And what do I mean by this phrase, “God will bless your finances”?
I’m certainly not promising you health, wealth, and prosperity if you do what I say. That’s the false promise of the prosperity gospel. You may do exactly what the Bible says in regards to money and still not hit your financial goals. Some very sinful people will become wealthy in this life and some very righteous people in this world will always be poor.
With that said, we have to be careful that we don’t overreact to the prosperity gospel and then start preaching an equally false poverty gospel. I don’t believe God is anti-wealth. I believe God is against the idol of money and the misuse of riches.
So when I use this phrase about “God blessing your finances,” I’m referring to us having the money God wants us to have so we can use it the ways that God wants us to use it.
With that said, here are 6 biblical ways God will bless your finances.
1. God Will Bless Your Finances Through Sanctifying Your Motives for Money
One of the most misquoted verses in all the Bible is 1 Timothy 6:10. What it actually says is this, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
People often misquote this verse and say, “Money is the root of all evil.” (It does say it like that in the KJV.) But this changes what the Bible says in at least two ways. First, when rightly translated, this verse does not say money itself is the root of evil. It says the “love of money” is the problem. Money is just a tool that God calls his people to steward for his glory. The second error people say is that money is the root of all evil. But that’s not what 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says either. It says the love of money is “a root of all kinds of evil.” So it’s an over simplification and unbiblical to say that money is always the root of all evil.
With that said, this verse does give us a powerful warning about the condition of our hearts when it comes to money. The greatest danger that comes from a love for money is that money will become our god and thus hurt our relationship with the one and only true God.
As 1 Timothy 6:9 states, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Again, notice it does not say that rich people always fall into temptation. It says “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation.” This applies to rich people and people who are not rich. Anyone can “desire to be rich” regardless if they are rich or not. Therefore, anyone can fall into temptations if their motives for money are not sanctified. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 instructs:
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
God does not condemn earthly riches. It states that God blesses us with things because he is the God “who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” But in context, riches will be most enjoyed when used in holy ways.
I’m not going to tell you exactly how God wants you to use your money because I don’t believe the Bible gives us a rigid formula to follow like that. Rather, I’m just pointing out the principle that God has not called us to love money but to rather use money to joyfully honor him.
Whether that be in bringing glory to God through your gratitude to God for the blessings he’s allowing you to enjoy or it’s about bringing more glory to God as you help other people with the money God has called you to steward – money is a tool God wants us to use in the ways that he’s telling us to use it.
That will look slightly different for all of us. But one key is that we do this joyfully for the Lord. As 2 Corinthians 9:7 states, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2. God Will Bless Your Finances When You Stop Being a Slave to the Lender
On a practical level, it was important for us to start with our hearts in point 1 of this article because our hearts will control the decisions we make with our money.
Bad motives for money make you poor in practical ways because bad motives cause you to want things that you can’t afford and thus it is very difficult for you to save. People who don’t love worldly things often end up with much more money in the bank because they are less susceptible to the temptation to waste their money on pointless things.
Remember the prodigal son in Luke 15? Once the father gave him his inheritance, Luke 15:13 (NIV) states, “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”
A love for worldly pleasures usually leads to earthly poverty. Debt is a big reason for this. When we want what we can’t afford, we are tempted to go into debt. But debt creates bondage, which is the opposite of having blessed finances. As Proverbs 22:7 states, “. . . the borrower is the slave of the lender.” You can’t enjoy the freedom God wants to give you if you are in bondage to debt.
When we care too much about what the world sees of us, our bank accounts, which are hidden from the world, will take the hit. As Proverbs 13:7 explains, “One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.” Don’t let your love of your own image to the world tempt you into debt.
3. God Will Bless Your Finances If You Are Honest and Refuse to Compromise to Gain Wealth in Unjust Ways
Not only will integrity and honesty bring spiritual blessings into your life, but integrity and honesty will also protect you from losing all that you’ve gained once the lies and dishonesty eventually catch up to you, because most people get busted when they don’t play by the rules.
In rare instances, it’s possible you might get rich by doing dishonest things. But that is very different than having God bless your finances. You won’t be able to enjoy your wealth anyways if your conscience is constantly convicting you (Mark 8:36). Wealth gained in dishonest ways will end up being a curse to you in the end:
- Proverbs 11:18, “The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.”
- Proverbs 11:1, “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.”
- Proverbs 11:24, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.”
4. God Will Bless Your Finances When You Dedicate the Time and Energy to Produce Excellency in Your Chosen Craft
Sadly, many Christians become far too mystical about money. It’s human nature to try to take the easiest path towards what we want. Because we know God is all powerful and can do whatever he wants, we assume that the easiest path to having blessed finances is to get on God’s good side. While we certainly do need God’s spiritual blessing and grace to receive anything good in this life, including good earthly things (James 1:17), we must not forget that God is the one who made work as the main means of having what we need.
Work was a part of God’s creation before the curse. Work is not the result of sin. Before Adam and Eve rebelled against God, Genesis 2:15 states, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” God certainly provided Adam with his food, but to provide humans the dignity they deserve, God also created Adam to be a part of the process in providing for his own needs.
The fact is, if you want God to bless your finances, you have to develop the skills that match the financial goals you have. Don’t expect the CEO’s salary if you only have the skills for an entry level position. Take that entry level position, but then work hard to keep gaining more and more skills which will equip you to earn more and more money.
As Proverbs 22:29 states, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”
5. God Will Bless Your Finances Through Hard Work and Patience
In addition to gaining particular skills that are valuable, the other side of gaining wealth according to Scripture is a lot simpler to understand – work really hard over a long period of time. Proverbs 13:4 states, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
It doesn’t matter how talented you are or how skilled you have become; if you don’t work hard, God can’t bless your finances. Working hard is one way in which God has ordained people to be blessed through. We are not earning financial blessings by working hard. All good gifts come by God’s grace. But hard work is one channel through which God has decided to bring financial blessings.
Don’t fall for the get rich quick schemes. There’s no way around it: if you want to be blessed financially, hard work will always be a part of the equation. As Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.”
6. God Will Bless Your Finances When You Love God More than Money
Let’s go back to how we started this article. What are we talking about when we use this phrase, “God will bless your finances”? Remember, we are not talking about health, wealth, and prosperity. God may decide no matter how hard you work, your salary will always be capped at a certain level and that level may not be what you want.
But when we have what God wants to give us and we are equipped to use these resources in the ways that God wants us to use them, then our finances are blessed. Above everything else, remember that God is our ultimate treasure. But to be near him, we must value him more than money, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (Matthew 6:21).
Therefore, remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
If you love money more than God, your money will be your god and it will become a curse to you. So if you really want your finances to be blessed in the most biblical way, it comes down to loving God more than money.
As Matthew 6:33 states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”