I tell you the truth it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven - Matthew19 23

Many churches around the world preach that making money is a very Christian activity which God openly supports and approves indeed some churches go as far as to suggest that church activities are directly linked to financial reward. But I can't find anything in the gospels where the teachings of Jesus even remotely supports that position or suggest that spiritual fulfillment and happiness can be equated to worldly riches. Quite the reverse the story of the rich young man tells of how money gets in the way of our relationship with God by becoming our God. You only have to look around us to see the host of evils money brings greed, arrogance, broken friendships, fractured families, failed marriages the list goes on. Everything in life has a balance and when love of the material is confused with real spiritual fulfillment disappointment and unhappiness invariably follow.

How many people do you know who are both happy and rich but have neglected their souls . I will tell you how many I know .....not one. It is both a paradox and a tragedy that the more we labor the more money becomes our God and the unhappier we become. ' naked we came into the world and naked we leave' we cannot take one penny with us. Misery in exchange for something transitory very strange.

We forget God made us as spiritual creatures Christ taught us to worship in spirit and nothing we can do replaces that fact of life. Think for a minute we never grow tired of Gods creations sunset , dawn, woods in autumn , the night sky that is because we are at one with them we come from the same source we are part of one family and thus they can bring us real peace and fulfillment. Money doesn't have to be evil provided in occupies the right place in our lives as CS Lewis wrote ' it is not the right gas for the car' if we yearn to be spiritually full there is only one table to sit at' I am the bread of life he who comes to me will never grow hungry'. John 6